| People | nasi · |
| Region | Yunnan, Lijiang; also Shangri-La in Diqing and Yongsheng |
| Role | caravaners |
Tea
茶马古道 chámǎ gǔdào: Lijiang was a hub where caravans began and ended their routes, and nasi merchants 藏客 zàngkè (houses 裕春和, 仁和昌, 永兴号) drove wagon trains of pressed tea into Tibet; by the war years Lijiang counted around 1,200 establishments in this trade. Their own drink — 龙虎斗 lónghǔdòu, in nasi “阿吉勒烤”: a strong brew is poured sharply into a cup with baijiu, the mixture hisses, hence the name.
Headdress
喜鹊窝帽 “magpie nest hat” — a documented everyday felt hat worn by Lijiang men: gray-brown sheep felt, the brim turned up vertically on one side only, the other half lying flat. The crown is now solid and closed — the oval opening with a leather edge has been removed. Accent: one dry pressed tea leaf in chestnut tone, tucked into the seam where the brim meets the crown.
Object
The 沱茶 nest has moved to the belt: a tuo the size of a palm hangs at the belt in a crosswise hemp binding, the navel depression facing out, a leaf impression along the rim — a caravan load in miniature, both working and documentary.
Clothing
A dense wool coat to the hip, worn overlapping at the front, leather belt with a brass buckle, a rolled felt saddle blanket of a pack saddle on the back, leg wrappings on the shins.
Palette
Gray-brown felt, dark indigo of the coat, chestnut of pressed tea, dull brass of the buckle.