Shiquan County is an excellent small county with amazing characteristics. The stone pot fish here is famous throughout the country and is a unique local delicacy. The local natural environment is very good, and the ecological balance is perfectly preserved. To this day, it can be called an ideal vacation spot.

Shiquan County, Ankang, Shaanxi Province, accidentally walked into this small county in southern Shaanxi, because our self-driving tour had no purpose, just driving around in the car. I passed by here on a business trip six or seven years ago and tasted the local delicacy - stone pot fish, but I had no impression of the attractions in this place.

Times have changed, and this trip feels very different. In addition to the fact that the stone pot fish is still so delicious, it turns out that this county, surrounded by mountains and rivers, has undergone earth-shaking changes in just six or seven years. With the changes, the county has become more beautiful, and several new tourist attractions have been built, such as Shiquan Ancient City, Qinba Customs Garden, etc.

The first place we visited was Shiquan Ancient City. The market was originally built along the river. The ancestors have lived by the water since ancient times, so there are Chihe Lotus Ancient Ferry, Houliu Youfangkan, and Xihe Meihu Street. Flood and drought docks such as Lianghe Sanxian Town, Iron Tube Car Dam and Lianghe Sanxian Town are connected to the ancient city by branches and vines.

In the past years, the thousand-year-old city and these ancient towns have struggled to interpret a history that blooms like flowers in the season, just like the aged wine in the deep alleys, the fragrance grows with time.

Today, the ancient streets of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and the east and west city gates have been restored as before. The bluestone-paved ancient streets are lined with shops, bustling with traders and tourists, and are full of vitality. The landmark buildings such as Yuwang Palace and Jiangxi Guild Hall standing in the city have been well restored and their charm is still there; the long and long water lanes, Daijia Lane, Huangxue Street and Changsheng Lane are still deep and antique; the time-honored Chushu Inn, calligraphy and painting Framing, massage therapy and the latest popular jackets and T-shirts, spicy barbecue, playing and singing are blended together to fully restore the vitality of the ancient city.

The second stop was to visit Qinba Customs Garden (also called Guiguzi Cultural Town, I didn’t know it at first and thought they were two scenic spots). The scenic spot is located in Yangjiaba on the west side of the county, adjacent to the Raofeng River. 3 kilometers away from the county seat. The garden is full of flowers, and the roses of different varieties and colors are very spectacular.

The architectural style mainly imitates the ancient buildings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, supplemented by the Bashu architectural style, focusing on displaying the architectural style of southern Shaanxi, and making every effort to create a cultural display base focusing on Guiguzi culture, supplemented by Spring and Autumn and Warring States themes. Guiguzi was a native of the Chu state during the Warring States Period and a famous political strategist in the history of our country. It is said that he once lived in seclusion in Guigu Ridge, Shiquan. It is unknown whether this is true.

Because we heard that Gui Guzi was the smartest person in history, we stayed in this small Bagua-style courtyard named after "Zhiyuan" for a long time, maybe we could get some knowledge of the most intelligent man. A little fairy spirit. There is also a museum with the theme of "sericulture". I took a quick look at it. The "gilt copper silkworms" unearthed locally in 1984 proved that the local area was once a node on the Silk Road (sericulture was very important in ancient times).

After leaving the Qinba Customs Park, it was already afternoon. We were hungry and wanted to return to the county town to eat the famous Bobo Stone Pot Fish recommended by the locals. However, when we thought about the return time and route, we still had to go back. Wanting to take a detour, I immediately ordered stone pot fish from a restaurant opposite the Fengqing Garden. The bottom of the pot was 25 yuan and the fish was 38 yuan per catty.

The two of us ordered a smaller one, about 4 pounds. The boss and his family were very enthusiastic. I witnessed the whole process of catching, killing, and making fish. The boss and his wife were skilled in craftsmanship, clean and sanitary. Less than an hour later, the stone pot was brought to the table. The bottom of the pot was slightly spicy with red oil, and the aroma was overflowing. The sliced ??raw fish was placed on a plate and ready to be cooked. There was even fish roe. It was my first time to eat fish roe. The bright yellow fish roe felt like millet grains. It was eaten with seasoning. I heard it was good for eyesight. To be honest, this stone pot fish is really, really delicious. This is the only delicacy in the world. Hope to have a chance to eat there again in the future.

There are still several scenic spots that I don’t have time to visit (such as Zhongba Canyon, Workshop Town, Yanxiang Cave, Houliu Water Village, etc.), so I will regret it and go there next time. I think Shiquan is a place worth visiting, where you can slowly savor every attraction in this small town.