Hui'an, a seaside county on the coast of Huidong Peninsula in Quanzhou of Fujian province, is home to a special group of people—Hui'an Women, who are best known for their unique clothing. Originated from the Minyue culture, Hui'an women's clothing also contains the essence of the central plain and sea cultures. It is kept well alive after over 1,000 years' evolvement and inheritance. The overall style of the clothing was shaped in the Tang Dynasty and gradually matured in the Song Dynasty. Starting from the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, some noticeable changes were made to the clothing, which assumes the basic features of exotic style, unique adornment, color harmony and gorgeous patterns.
Hui'an women's clothing includes dresses, hairstyles, jewelry, ornaments and other accessories etc. Hui'an women's outfit typical of old traditions mainly includes: a brightly-colored head scarf with small flower patterns, covering cheeks and the chin; a slanting-lapelled jacket that is short and narrow, revealing the belly; and big and broad black pants. This dress style, with quite impressive colors, is one-of-a-kind in the whole country.
The most striking feature of Hui'an women's clothing is the "short jacket leaving the navel uncovered". And the belt is a key accessory. One type of the belt is woven with multicolored plastic tapes, with the width ranging from 7 to 9cm. It is quite eye-catching due to its palette of colors. Another type is made of silver. Hui'an women's pants are mostly black, a sober and tasteful color that usually goes well with dresses and accessories of other colors.
The most impressive part of Hui'an women's clothing is the bamboo hat, which is bright yellow in color. And the scarf is the most unique part, with each scarf being square in shape and having patterns like white flowers against a blue or green background, or green flowers against a white background. The patterns of the scarves may not be the same, but they are all clear, simple, elegant and pleasing to the eye. The way Hui'an women adorn their hair reflects the importance ancient women paid to the head jewelry.
On her wedding or other happy occasions like visiting her friends, a Hui'an woman wears brightly-colored head ornaments most suitable for joyous events. At the same time, she wears her hair in a big coil and adorns it with various gold and silver jewels and some velvet flowers. A black silk scarf, measuring the same length as her jacket, and embroidered with various patterns in green silk threads, is tied at the edge of the coil. The two ends of the scarf are joined with a black silk band.
During ordinary days, though, her hair is in a simple style, slightly adorned and easy to deal with, but far from untidy. She wears a few ornaments and velvet flowers, heading a black silk rectangular cover with a black coarse cloth lining. The cover is framed with three bamboo strips and a half of the cover stretches out above the forehead. A black silk triangle like a ram's horn is erected on top of the cover, with a red woven band sewn on the tip.
A married woman wears a special ornament on the black silk pants—a silver belt, which was two or three-stranded in the past and is now eight-stranded at the most. The silver belt is about two Chinese inches in width and weighs a little more than 500 grams. It is said to be a betrothal gift from her husband. It also shows how wealthy a family is.
Hui'an women's clothing stands out for its perfect harmony between colors, styles, lines and patterns etc. It is a combination of both traditional and modern elements. Hui'an women's clothing blends in well with the sea and fields of their hometown, with the black plants bringing out their modesty and the blue jacket representing their characters similar to the depth of the sea and the clearness of the sky.
