Pushi is an ancient town built by military and prospered by commerce. It lives in the middle reaches of Yuanjiang River, and its geographical position is very important. It has always been an important land and water resource for military strategists to fight. As early as the Han Dynasty, Fu Bo general Ma Yuan had conquered the "Na Man" in this area; In the mid-Southern Song Dynasty, Pushi ancient town was formally established as a military gathering place. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it became an important stronghold for military readiness. Pushi is an important post station leading to Sichuan and Guizhou, and also the hub of land and water transportation in western Hunan. Up to now, from Pushi to Gaoshanping for more than 20 miles, the ancient Qingshiban Post Road, which extends all the way, extends down to Fenghuang, Tongren, Zhenyuan and even Yunnan. The recently discovered Yanmen Konka Castle Village, located in the suburb of Pu, is surrounded by mountains and waters, and has integrated the architectural art of Han Miao. The overall situation and layout details have obvious military defensive color, which also shows the important archaeological value of the series of military remains of Miaojiang side walls. ...
Pushi is located in the transshipment center of the "Ancient Maritime Silk Road" in the middle of ancient Guizhou (mainly in the Yuan and Li basins of Hunan Province, most parts of Guizhou Province, the southwest corner of Hubei and the southeast corner of Sichuan). Due to the long-term geographical position and the strategic role of armament, by the early years of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, Pushi had become a gateway town for businessmen from Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi to enter and leave the southwest, and foreign cultures collided and blended with local national cultures. "Between the two sides of the strait, there are ten thousand kinds of fireworks, ten thousand kinds of merchants and an endless stream of ships, so it is also a metropolis." "Poets and businessmen, workers and farmers all gather here at the right time." In ancient times, when land transportation was relatively backward, Pushi became the commercial center and even the industrial center of Yuanshui River Basin with its rich products, flat terrain and special water transportation advantages. It is also the distribution center of materials in Xiangxi and Huaihua, and the local products of southwest border areas such as Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are also resold here.
During the prosperous period of Kang Yong in Qing Dynasty, the iron smelting industry in Pushi was very developed. Qu Tangkang and Yang started from "smelting iron" and also made local products. In addition to operating in Pu city, Qu Kongfu has 360 stores in Hankou, dealing in various commodities. Based in Pushi and Shui Yuan, it has built a huge business empire, which is quite similar to Pingyao in Shanxi.