Flower power

Huang has even noticed an interest in her village's traditions abroad, and saw firsthand how the headdress was appreciated by non-Chinese, including those she entertained during a cultural and tourism promotion event in Paris, France, earlier this year.

"Although we couldn't understand French, their gestures showed they loved our designs," she says.

The rising popularity of its floral headdresses has put Xunpu on the tourist map.

According to Huang Xiangdong, a senior village official, Xunpu received more than 7 million visitors by November. The number peaked at 430,000 visitors during the National Day holiday in early October, more than double the arrivals during the same period last year.

More than 200 headdress-themed photography workshops have been established. "At its lowest, there were only about 10 visitors to my studio in a month, but now, more than 500 come in a day," Huang Liyong says.

On Xiaohongshu, some 500,000 posts appear under a search for "headdress in Quanzhou".

The women of Xunpu have again taken a leading role in development, making up 90 percent of the workforce in the cultural tourism sector and making 90 percent of the cultural tourism income in Xunpu, according to local authorities. Last year, the village hosted an average of 50,000 visitors a day during holidays, with total annual tourism revenue exceeding 600 million yuan ($82.3 million).