bui

Tea

都匀毛尖 dūyún máojiān — twisted bud with white down, green tea from southern Guizhou, served at court since the Ming. The technique 都匀毛尖茶制作技艺 is recognized as a shared heritage of the bui, miao, and shui; in March–April, during the best harvest, bui tea households perform a rite to the tea deity, asking to preserve the crop. Plus their own craft on clothing — 蜡染 làrǎn, wax-resist batik. Qiannan Bui-Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Duyun.

Crown sprout

A single large bud, standing STRICTLY vertical and split in the upper third: the two split halves have parted slightly into a short V, the body is one piece and straight, with sparse down of a warm pearl-gray tone lying along the split. There is no curve at all — the hook and flat curl are Yanka’s. It differs from the Gelao fork in that there the two branchlets diverge from the very base, here the stem is single and only the top is forked; from the Menba shoot in that there two leaves bend DOWN from the spire, here there are no leaves and the halves point up; from the She twisted cord in its straightness, with no twist.

Headdress

包头帕 bāotóupà — a low indigo wrap around the skull, with a 蜡染 panel tied over it: the wax holds the fabric stiff, and both of its ends are released from the temples downward and outward, standing splayed and not reaching the shoulders. Nothing hangs down the back. The slit for the bud is in the top layer of the wrap, whip-stitched with coarse thread in a warm linen tone along the wax reserve.

Outline at 6 mm. Swallowtail under the head: a low wrap around the skull, with TWO starched ends spreading from the temples downward and outward, standing splayed and not touching the cheeks — a gap is visible between them and the face on each side. Nothing more hangs down the back: the single occipital tongue reaching the shoulder blades is the Loba’s. It differs from the Dongxiang in that there the lobes press against the cheekbones and run vertically below the chin, here the ends are angled outward and the space between them and the face is empty; from the Gaoshan in that the ends DIVERGE rather than meeting at a point; from the Maonan in that theirs are tucked under the wrap and not visible outside at all, while here two ends stand splayed on either side of the face.

Clothing

Short indigo jacket with a batik placket, long skirt, waist apron, and a picker’s basket on the back.

Palette

Indigo and white wax reserve, snowy bud down, basket ochre.