Xunpu Women’s Zanhuawei Floral Headwear Tradition Enters Cultural Tourism

What changed

In Quanzhou’s Fengze District, the Xunpu women’s custom has moved from fishing-village daily life into a popular cultural-tourism experience. Its floral headwear, known as zanhuawei, became widely visible in 2023 and appeared on Chinese models at a 2024 fashion show in Paris. In Xunpu Village, flower-photo studios grew from fewer than 10 to more than 300 at their peak.

Why it matters

The flowers are only the most visible part of the tradition. Zanhuawei sits alongside loose clothing, maritime culture, Mazu belief, fishing-village memories and the distinctive shell houses of Xunpu. That setting is what keeps the custom from becoming just a costume rented for a photograph.

The tradition entered China’s national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Now its popularity is forcing a practical question: how do you make an old custom accessible without sanding away the details that make it Xunpu’s?

A local folk-culture association formed in November 2023 to sort old photographs and stories, train headwear makers, and establish service and craft standards. Its work gives visitors more than a decorative experience: they can learn how the headwear is made and understood, then see the traditional homes and speak with older village residents.

That effort matters because popularity can preserve a living tradition, but it can also pull it away from everyday life. The strongest sign of continuity is not the number of studios. It is whether skilled makers remain, younger people keep learning, and the village landscape and memories remain part of the experience.