Iron Pothook Ancient Town

　　Iron Pothook Town is situated 50 kilometers south of the Han River in Shiquan County, neighboring Hanyin County, Xixiang County, and Zhenba County. It is known as the "land where a rooster's crow can be heard in four counties" and was historically a key market town along the Sichuan-Hubei trade route.

　　The name of Iron Pothook Town has undergone several changes over time. Historical records indicate that before the 23rd year of the Jiaqing reign during the Qing Dynasty, the town was called Yongxingchang. During the Daoguang era, the area had over 60 waterwheels irrigating more than 2,000 acres of fertile farmland, leading to its renaming as Tongcheba (Waterwheel Dam). However, in the 23rd year of the Daoguang reign, a devastating flood destroyed most of the waterwheels, rendering the name inappropriate. The town was then renamed Iron Pothook Town. The origin of this name comes from a place called Goujiaba, which had over 100 acres of paddy fields shaped strikingly like an iron pothook used for ironing clothes—hence the name Iron Pothook Town.

　　Iron Pothook Town is one of the historically renowned ancient towns in Shiquan County. It takes just forty minutes to reach Gaocuan in Xixiang County and a little over half a day to cross from Shaanxi into Sichuan. According to elders who have lived in Iron Pothook Town for generations, before the liberation, there was a gate at the lower end of the town street inscribed with the bold characters “Sichuan-Hubei Trade Route,” dated to the 20th year of the Daoguang reign. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, on market days, merchants from both Sichuan and Shaanxi gathered in the streets of Iron Pothook, making trade flourish. Traditional Han opera performed on the ancient stage carried a rich and lingering charm. At that time, there were over ten century-old establishments on Iron Pothook Street, such as Yuanmaosheng, Tianchengxiang, Tianchengfu, Tianchenghe, Yishunhe, Jinshengtang, Yishunxin, Demaohong, Kuntaifeng, Changxingjiu, and Rongshoutang. Most of these were pharmacies and inns, doing brisk business. According to Wu Mingsen, a man in his 70s, his family ran an inn. He recalled that every night, at least a dozen mule caravans stayed at their place, with travelers coming from both Sichuan and Hanzhong. There was a folk rhyme at the time: “The White Dragon goes down to Sichuan, the Yellow Dragon enters Shaanxi.” The White Dragon referred to cotton, and the Yellow Dragon to yellow paper used in ancestral worship. This meant that cotton from Shaanxi was transported to Sichuan via Iron Pothook Town, while yellow paper and salt from Sichuan were brought into Shaanxi—illustrating the town’s vital role as a commercial and trade thoroughfare. About 15 kilometers from Iron Pothook Town lies Xihé Town (its current name), situated by the Han River with convenient transportation and a bustling market. As early as the first year of the reign of Emperor Fei of the Western Wei Dynasty (552 AD), the Wei’ning County was established here, historically known as the “Little Hankou.” In earlier times, merchants from Sichuan and Shaanxi drove mule caravans to transport goods through Iron Pothook Town to the Xihé docks, where they were loaded onto boats and shipped to Hankou via waterways. Meanwhile, the caravans would carry goods unloaded from the ships back to Sichuan and areas in Hanzhong such as Xixiang, Zhenba, and Yangxian.

　　After the liberation, with the continuous development of road transportation, the once-bustling ancient Sichuan-Hubei trade route gradually fell silent. Today, when you visit Iron Pothook Town, the vestiges of this millennia-old ancient town can still be faintly seen: the bluestone-paved streets, wooden storefronts, ancient theater stages, Guan Yu Temple, and the historic trade routes leading to Hanzhong and Sichuan. These have all become precious cultural relics and historical sites that bear witness to the rise and fall of Iron Pothook Ancient Town. With the opening of the Swallow Cave scenic area, Iron Pothook Ancient Town is also beginning to showcase its quaint and weathered charm to visitors, allowing them to experience and explore the former liveliness and prosperity.