Shihua is an ancient town, and the history recorded in the county annals and town annals dates back to more than 26 BC.

"Shihua Town" is actually an official name in modern times. Among the people, people have always used to call the ancient town "Shihua Street", and its reputation in history is not inferior to that of the four famous towns-Zhuxian Town, Jingdezhen Town, Foshan Town and Hankou Town. Up to now, merchants from other provinces don't know that there are many people in Gucheng County and those in Xiangfan City, but few people don't know about "Shihua Street".

According to the annals, Shihua Street is famous because of its long history and special geographical location. From a historical perspective, this statement certainly makes sense. Before highways and railways appeared, Shihua was the throat town leading to mountains, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia-from west to east, when Shihua left, it would enter the beautiful and rich Jianghan Plain, overlooking wuyue and fertile fields in the east; From east to west, after passing Shihua Town, you will enter the continuous mountains and mountains, and look at Qinba in the west. During the long Han and Tang dynasties, Shihua ancient town was a strategic hub and a transit center for material distribution, whether it was Xijing Chang 'an or Luoyang in the east. Religious factors can't be ignored. Wudang Mountain, a Taoist holy land, is not far from the northwest of Shihua, so the road to the northwest of Shihua is called "Shenlu". For the believers who worship their ancestors from afar, Shihua is their last stop. On the eve of worship, they just rest here for one night, wash away their fatigue, prepare enough incense, and climb the Jinding with full spirit and good mood.

Shihua is also famous because the ancient town is full of all kinds of magical legends that can attract all kinds of people. For example, the fourth prince of the Dragon King was ordered to send rain to save the drought and was confused by the banshee and missed the jade emperor's mission. He was sent to Shixi for rain and peace, and Lu Ban cut a bolt for the theater in Shixi Town. Liu Xiu, the Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was chased by Wang Mang and fled to Shixi and was blocked by a deep pool ... There are indeed many physical objects to prove these legends, such as the ruins of Shuangquanjing, which still exists in Shihua Winery, and Lu Ban.

But the street name of Shihua Town is the most popular, and there are several versions. The usual saying is: Shihua was originally named Shixi, named after the Shixi River flowing through the street. The stone bridge on the river is older than the old street, so old that every bridge pillar has its own story. The ancient stone bridge is one bow wide and three bows long, and it has a bluestone structure. On both sides, there are many patterns such as two dragons playing with pearls, and the lotus leaf is carved on the top of each column, which is exquisite and lifelike. When there is no bridge deck in summer flood, the lotus flowers on the bridge fence are as amazing as the real lotus flowers in the lotus pond. People changed the street name from Shixi to Shihua. Another argument is that the Qingshiqiao is very old, giving birth to fairy spirits, and the carvings at the top of the column emit dazzling light when they see the sun, as brilliant as gems. There is also a saying that a column in the bridge is the most magical. At noon on a sunny day, looking up at the sky through the Shi Lian, we can see a full moon like a golden basin, and the sky is full of stars ... < P > Either way, it is confirmed that there was a "jewel blooming" spectacle in the ancient town, and the name of Shihua Town spread far and wide.

Compared with the official history, legends only add mystery to the ancient town, while the written history of Shihua Town itself is astounding. In the history of the Warring States Period, Chu defeated Yong. At the end of Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Chu, led an army to crusade against Liu Bang, and chariots and fighters rumbled across the bridge. Standing on the Shihua Bridge, which is still the choke point today, it is still impressive to think of the sight of "cars staggering and horses whistling" in those days!

The inner charm of ancient towns comes from the infiltration of wine culture.

Although a long history and magical legends can add color to ancient towns, with the development of modern transportation and the rise of new industry and commerce, many famous ancient towns in history have declined one after another due to lack of economic support. For contemporary people, the ancient concept of "Four Famous Towns" which was prominent in those years no longer exists, and many prosperous ancient towns in Xiangfan and even Hubei have long been forgotten by the dust of history. Only Shihua Ancient Town can pass through a long historical time and space and still maintain its former reputation. This special phenomenon has aroused the interest of many scholars, and many people in economic circles and journalists have made special discussions on it. The conclusion is that Shihua Town has always stood at the forefront of reform and developed rapidly with the times, or that the prosperity of local industries has promoted the economic take-off of the ancient town, thus making Shihua Town famous. However, the residents of this town and those who really understand the development history of Shihua Town are unwilling to agree. They think that Shihua has a long history, but without the famous Shihua Daqu liquor, Shihua Town can't escape the fate of being forgotten. It is really convincing to analyze this view objectively. From a purely economic point of view, the brilliance of many new famous towns that have emerged in the industrially developed areas such as Guangdong and Zhejiang has already covered Shihua's famous towns with historical traffic status and legends such as "Gem Blossom". The reason why Shihua ancient town is famous is that the rapid economic development is of course an important factor, but the most important reason is the Shihua Daqu liquor series, which has always occupied an important position in the national and provincial liquor industry. Just as Moutai always maintains the popularity of Maotai Town, the excellent liquor produced by Shihua Distillery has always been equally divided with famous fen-flavor liquor such as Shanxi Fenjiu and maintained a stable market share from the early years of the Republic of China to the end of the last century, but it has a more prosperous reputation in Hubei Province, and has been neck and neck with "Bai Yunbian" for a long time, occupying half of Hubei liquor market. From the northern border to Coconut Island Hainan, you can see the figure of Shihua wine with simple packaging and excellent texture everywhere; No matter at the feast of the grand hotel or at the table of ordinary people, you can smell the mellow wine fragrance of Shihua Daqu.