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Luoba is located in Wangyu Town, Yucheng District, Ya'an City, and is an essential part of the road network of the Ya'an Tea Horse Road.

According to records in the Qing Dynasty's “Hongya County Annals,” during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, there was a site of the “Liu Xin Tea Horse Ancient Road” in Guanyin Village, Dongyue Town, Hongya County. Tea from areas such as Dongyue and Zhongbao in Hongya would be carried by porters over mountains to Yanqiao in Ya'an, then onto Yanchang. Tea from Huaxi and Liujiang in Hongya could either cross Meizi Slope to Lianghekou or follow the river upstream to Lianghekou, and from there, proceed to Yanchang via Yanqiao. Tea from Wu Village, Gaomiao, Huatou, and Bingling in Hongya would pass through Lianlong Township, cross the suspension bridge to the west to Xiaoshan in Ya'an, and then follow the river downstream to Doupaizi – Yanwan – Liwan in Hongya. Crossing another suspension bridge at Liwan, the southern end of which is Liwan in Hongya and the northern end is Hulu Dam in Ya'an, they would walk past the suspension bridge into Shaba and arrive at Hulu Dam. The ancient road would then continue northward from Hulu Dam to Zhang Dam. After passing Zhang Dam and reaching Qiaolouzi, they would need to cross another suspension bridge to reach Luoba.

The Tea Horse Road passed through Yanchang, and the porters would travel west along the ancient road, passing through: Shikazi – Louzikou – Baotian Dam – Huoshao Slope – Fengdongzi. After ascending Fengdongzi, they would come to a place called “A Bowl of Water.” This refers to cool water seeping out of a cliff by the roadside on the right side of the ancient road, which fills up a rock shaped like a large bowl, providing refreshment for the tea-carrying porters. After enjoying “A Bowl of Water,” they would continue westward into Lengshuijin. To the right of Lengshuijin is Reception Courtyard, a resting place for pilgrims traveling to and from Mount Emei and Mount Wawu; to its left is Hai Zi Mountain, which consists of seven large and small lakes and is now known as a high-altitude wetland. The overflow from the lakes in Hai Zi Mountain nourishes Lengshuijin, sustaining a small stream that flows day and night. The Tea Horse Road winds alongside this stream and extends westward, arriving at Fairy Bridge, which connects the north and south across the stream. After crossing Fairy Bridge and proceeding to Guanyan Rock, they would pay respects to the Goddess Guanyin before beginning the descent down the steep 300 steps. On these 300 stone steps, the “cane nests” made by the porters' canes while resting are still clearly visible. After descending the steep 300 steps, they would arrive at Taziping. From Taziping, they would continue westward up a gentle slope to Miaoping. From there, they would enter Luoba through San Cengmazi and Hou Damzi. To the right of the ancient road at Hou Damzi was Tian'en Hao, and to the left were old houses.

The current location of the Wangyu Town government is the old houses of Luoba. To the south are Gamo Mountain, Liwan, Shaba, Hulu Dam, Zhang Dam, and Qiaolouzi; to the southeast are Hai Zi Mountain, Wangxiangtai, and Gan Mountain; to the east are Hai Zi Mountain, Taziping, San Cengmazi, and Hou Damzi; to the northeast are Zhougong Mountain, Xiaole Mountain, Louzirock, Jinsiping; to the north are Ya'an, Huangtan, Lion Village, Dayin Temple, Gaoshen, Kongping, Shaping, White Cloud Temple, Sichayao, Sanghedao, Feishi, Daozi, Dahexi, General Slope, Yanlu Kan, Guanyinge, Wangyushi, Longmengu, Bisanshan Temple, and Tian'en Hao; to the southwest is Mount Wawu; to the west are Yingjing, Mare Mountain, and Xianghuagang; the Zhougong River flows past the front of Luoba; to the northwest are Yangziling, Pingxi, Gangan, Maluoyai, Bajiaoyai, Yan Tangkou, Gongwan, and Qian Dam.

The Tea Horse Road enters Luoba from the east and south, and from Luoba, it proceeds through Bisanshan Temple – Longmengu – Wangyu – Yanlu Kan – General Slope – Dahexi – Qian Gang – Zhangwan – Bajiaoyai – Maluoyai – Gangan – Pingxi. Starting from Pingxi, it crosses Yangziling to reach Yingjing. This ancient road is a branch of the Sichuan-Tibet Road (from Sichuan to Tibet), which starts in Ya'an and reaches Lhasa in Tibet, and ultimately extends to countries such as India, Nepal, and Bhutan via the Sichuan-Tibet Tea Horse Road.

From Luoba to Wangyu, the town on Wangyushi is an important stopover on the Tea Horse Road. On the street, “Yaodianzi” provided accommodation and food for the porters, and there were blacksmith shops that crafted the shoe cleats and horseshoes they needed for their journey. A pair of practical straw shoes, along with the attached shoe cleats and horseshoes, were essential for the porters climbing over mountains.

On the Tea Horse Road, the shoes worn by the porters carrying tea bales varied with the seasons and weather conditions. Regardless of whether it was sunny or rainy, they wore either Maowo straw shoes or Piantou straw shoes. Maowo shoes had cleats nailed to them, while Piantou shoes had horseshoes tied to them. In early spring and winter when the weather was cold, they wrapped their calves with hemp cloth bandages and covered their soles with palm leaves before putting on Maowo straw shoes. As the weather warmed after winter, they wore Piantou straw shoes while walking back and forth on the Tea Horse Road. In winter, when the roads became muddy from rain or slippery from snow, they had to wear Maowo straw shoes with cleats nailed to them. The cleats were oval-shaped, with four iron studs on the top side. Each cleat had four small rectangular holes drilled into each corner. A shoelace was threaded through these holes, attaching the bottom side of the cleat to the sole of the Maowo straw shoe and locking it in place. Each pair of Maowo straw shoes required a set of cleats, which consisted of four cleats, each with four studs. Each shoe had two cleats nailed to the front and back, so a pair of Maowo straw shoes required four cleats. When the road was slippery from rain, they wore Piantou straw shoes with horseshoes tied to them. The horseshoes were also oval-shaped, with two iron bars on the top side and hooks formed at both ends on the bottom side. These hooks were attached to the back of the Piantou straw shoes, and thin hemp rope was threaded through the hooks to secure the horseshoes to the shoes. The cleats, horseshoes, and shoelaces were all made of wrought iron. A set of cleats was used for a pair of Maowo straw shoes, and a set of horseshoes was tied to a pair of Piantou straw shoes. The iron studs on the cleats and the iron bars on the horseshoes played a critical role in preventing slippage. A new pair of Maowo straw shoes with cleats and a new pair of Piantou straw shoes with horseshoes would last a porter about half a month for a round trip to Danzhou (Kangding). During this time, most of the sixteen iron studs on the cleats and the four iron bars on the horseshoes would be worn down. There used to be a blacksmith shop in the lower part of the ancient town of Wangyu that made shoe cleats and horseshoes.

The porters determined how many tea bales they could carry based on their strength, bundling the tea bales along with supplies and provisions onto their carrying frames. With the carrying frames on their backs and canes in hand, they walked toward Luoba from the east and southeast. Upon reaching Luoba, they would prepare a new pair of Maowo straw shoes with cleats and a new pair of Piantou straw shoes with horseshoes at the blacksmith shop in the ancient town of Wangyu, essentials for a round trip to Danzhou.

Contributors: Ya'an Local Chronicles Compilation Center, Yucheng District Local Chronicles Compilation Center, Ya'an Xikang Museum