The Anhai Suoluoling custom during the Dragon Boat Festival. [Photo/fujian-szwhg.chaoxing.com]

Anhai Suoluoling custom, also known as "picking lotus", is a traditional practice in Jinjiang, a county-level city in Quanzhou, Fujian province that is recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage item under the category of folk customs.

It is performed during the Dragon Boat Festival to seek blessings from the Dragon King. The phrase "Suoluolian" chanted during the activity means to repel disaster and summon fortune.

Originating during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), the practice was popularized by migrants from the Central Plains. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the activity was fixed on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, becoming a Dragon Boat Festival custom.

The procession includes a drunk man with a helmet and a flag accompanied by soldiers with breaking gongs, and men dressed as flower fairies. The group visits households, offering blessings and receiving red envelopes in return amid a joyful atmosphere of singing and dancing from house to house.

The excavation, rescue, and preservation of the Anhai Dragon Boat Festival custom hold academic value for studying Central Plains and maritime culture. It also plays a crucial role in enriching the cultural life of the people and promoting the development of tourism in Fujian. Presently, the custom remains intact only in the Anhai town, but with the accelerated pace of urbanization, the custom faces challenges, including a lack of successors and potential endangerment.