ZnO nanowires have been synthesized on porous silicon substrates with different porosities via the vapour-liquid-solid method. The texture coefficient analysed from the XRD spectra indicates that the nanowires are more highly orientated on the appropriate porosity of porous silicon substrate than on the smooth surface of silicon. The Raman spectrum reveals the high quality of the ZnO nanowires. From the temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra, we deduced the activation energies of free and bound excitons.