我的湖北朋友当中，能干智慧性格果敢的居多。在中国时，对湖北的地理探访以及文化景物的粗略了解也早让我对湖北人有了敬佩之意。

荆楚大地，自古地灵人杰，湖北就是中国文化的一个牛省。

湖北的地域称谓就让人感觉脑子不够用。古代春秋时期是楚国，那时的楚人就好文，"唯楚有才"的说法大概就是从那时开始的吧。翻阅成语词典，常看到许多成语典故来自战国策的楚策篇，透着湖北佬的聪明。还有那楚辞，离骚九歌天问......，一个屈原老头就让荆楚历代诗人辈出。在那风流骚客唐伯虎祝枝山的家乡地姑苏城，那首《枫桥夜泊》却是湖北人张继的手笔。

湖北的人文历史伴长江而辉煌。沿长江流域的湖北也叫荆山楚水，因此湖北又有了荆楚的名号。长江中下游地段，虽江面开阔地势平缓无险，却也有"乱石穿空惊涛拍岸卷起千堆雪"的赤壁怀古地。

湖北宜昌的南津关往上是长江上游，鬼斧神工不仅凿出了三峡地段，也给现代人留下了葛洲坝和三峡大坝这样的大型水利枢纽地。宜昌古称鄂州，曾是湖北的中心，所以湖北又称鄂。这一地带最是湖北的精华，神女云雨缭绕，姊归屈原家乡，香溪昭君故里，当阳三国古战场，真是说不完的故事看不完的景，好像中国那点山俊水秀历史古迹都浓缩在荆山楚水当中了。

还有那襄阳樊城隆中山，"大梦谁先觉平生我自知"，一觉春睡醒来，对天下事便能先知先觉 -- 诸葛孔明也是湖北佬啊。卧龙凤雏共济皇叔，汉寿亭侯水淹七军败走麦城，故事就发生在这鄂西北一角。

湖北佬古时能文善武，现代更是不差!  辛亥革命是武昌城头响的第一枪; 中国人民当家作主，林家军从白山黑水一路杀到天涯海角功不可没。湖北军事将才济济，红安一县就出将军223位。"天上九头鸟地上湖北佬"的果敢彪悍让人叹服。

像湖北这样对华夏历史文化贡献良多的省份很难找出第二个。不仅对中国传统，就是在中外交往中，湖北也是举足轻重。清朝张之洞以"中学为体西学为用"创办中国近代工业就在武汉，从此武汉始终是中国经济的重镇。今天，美国"主流媒体"刊登的一则来自湖北的消息更是让荆楚大地在全世界面前有了声威:

Burned alive for "not washing feet" (看标题好像是说某人因没洗脚被活烤了)

A Chinese bride burned her new husband to death after he got into bed after a drunken argument without washing his feet, state media reported on Wednesday.

新郎新娘酒后争吵，新郎没洗脚上床被新娘烧死。

"Wang and his wife, Luo, were married on February 2. The couple, however, frequently fought over trivial things while still on their honeymoon," the official Xinhua news agency quoted a local newspaper as saying.

王新郎与罗新娘二月二号才新婚，但小两口蜜月期就为鸡毛蒜皮打嘴仗。

The couple, from the central province of Hubei, had another fight on the night of March 4, "and in frustration they together drank a bottle of liquor to ease their anger."

夫妇都是湖北人，三月四号夜里又吵架，两人犯脾气后两人共同开了瓶烈酒，想以酒消气。

"At about 10 p.m., Luo watched her husband get into bed without cleaning or washing his feet. In a fit of anger and intoxication, she set fire to the sheet he was sleeping in," the report said.

十点，罗新娘见老公不洗脚就上床，一时酒劲脾气并发，就将老公盖的被子点着了。

"When he awoke, the two began fighting before a very drunk Wang collapsed. As fire engulfed the bedroom. Luo escaped to the living room, leaving her other half to burn," it added.  The woman has been arrested, Xinhua said.

新郎被烧醒，二位接着打，直到新郎不胜酒力倒下。但这时大火吞嚼了整个房间，罗自己跑了出来，把她老公一人留在房里烧烤。当然，新娘事后被拘了。

这楚女牛啊，性情刚烈，喝烈酒斗老公;  生活琐事都马虎不得，为洗脚这类小事就敢把老公点着活烤了，这样的楚人楚事应该记上一笔。各位看官，如果你那家庭领导也是荆楚人士，恐怕最好每天要自觉洗脚。