The Maoyu ancient town is located in the hinterland of Daba Mountain. It was a land and water transportation arteries with merchants gathering and it was very prosperous.

The name of Maoyu has a long history.

In December 1932, the Fourth Red Army set up the CCP's Red River County government and other authorities. It was a town of strategic military importance for the Red Army to go out of the Sichuan-Shaanxi, with Wanyuan to the east, Nanjiang and Bazhong to the west, Da County and Xuanhan to the South.

In December 1932, in order to let those children in poverty to receive education, the first Liening Primary School was created in Chuanshan Soviet District in the Niangniang Temple in the ancient town.

In November 1934, the Fourth Red Army Party and Political work conference was held in the Maoyu ancient town, and military cadres, more than eight hundred people including cadres of the companies and above participated in the conference, there were seven sites of the Red Army, more than thirty stories and songs of the Red Army. It was not only a historical and cultural town, but also a red town.

Maoyu ancient town had a length of 1,800 meters, width of 60 meters, construction area of 9,000 square meters, the house of the ancient town were well-preserved.

Today, with the town's rapid developing economy which takes trade and tourism economy as its major, the town has more than 80 individual industrial and commercial households; the people in the town live a well-off life.