An oyster shell house

Xunbu, a small village in Quanzhou, used to be a significant seaport of the maritime Silk Road in the Song and Yuan dynasties. Many oceangoing ships anchored in Xunbu and transported silk, tea and porcelain to many countries and regions at that time.

Oyster shell houses are a form of architecture in Xunbu, but the oyster shells that decorate these houses are not produced in the local sea area. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, oceangoing ships transported heavy Chinese goods to other countries. When they returned, sailors worried ships were too light to overcome waves’ rise and fall. So they picked up the oyster shells discarded on the shores of the South China Sea Islands, Indian Ocean or the Persian Gulf to add weight to their ships. When ships arrived at Xunbu, villagers unloaded these oyster shells and took them back home to build houses. Because oyster shells are resistant to water penetration and worm damage, villagers have a preference for homes made using them, which are warm in winter and cool in summer. 

     
In Xunbu, men go fishing on the sea and women farm local oysters along beaches. Xunbu women are famous for their diligence and virtue. They wear flowers as hair accessories, and elderly women prefer to wear colorful flowers with gold or ivory headwear.