A Tebbu man traditionally had a row of things hanging on his belt. There was always a sword, a knife, tinderbox with tinder and flint. He ideally had his pipe and a tobacco pouch with him. If his horse was nearby, he carried a halter and a whip in his hand. If his gun was at his side, a powder horn hung at his belt. Tebbu men were those who sewed, so he also had a small storage box for needles and sewing-thread with him. Today the sewing machine is a man's tool.
The Tebbu Tibetans live in the long valleys north and south of the Yangtze River's northernmost tributary, Bailong Jiang. In the north, the over 5,000 meter-high peaks of the Min Shan Mountains separate their wooded valleys from the almost treeless landscape of the Yellow River.
At the top of the Bailong Jiang valley, you are close to the Tibetan highlands. Tebbu Tibetans live mainly from livestock – yaks, horses, sheep and goats. Further down, you find a Chinese population and Tebbu Tibetans that are farmers. The Drakana valley's population live in a transitional zone and combine agriculture down in the valley with animal husbandry up in the mountains.