Get to know Yan'an
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- Administrative area
- Prefecture-level city · 地级市
- Part of
- Shaanxi
- Chinese name
- 延安市
- Local areas
- 13 local areas
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 37,031.30 km²
- Population · 2019
- 2,255,700
- Administrative seat
- Baota District
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Yan'an was near the endpoint of the Long March, and became the center of the Chinese Communist Revolution from late 1935 to early 1947. Chinese communists celebrate Yan'an as the birthplace of the revolution.
Culture
Yan'an's culture is more broadly part of the Shaanbei culture that exists throughout northern Shaanxi. The area has unique traditional music, which often incorporates the use of waist drums, most notably those from Ansai District. The area also unique traditional paper cutting crafts. Yaodong, cave dwellings indigenous to the Loess Plateau, are also indigenous to the wider northern Shaanxi region.
The Erdao Street Night Market is a street market in Baota District which features many of the hallmarks of Shaanbei culture, including local cuisine, décor, and folk music.
Tourism
The city is a major center for red tourism in China, with facilities such as the Yan'an Revolution Memorial Hall attracting Chinese citizens and Communist Party cadres seeking to learn more about the Party's history.
In 2021, the development project Golden Yan'an opened as part of the Holy Land Valley Cultural Tourism Industrial Park. This tourist town is branded as the "new landmark of Red Tourism in China" and features old-fashioned Chinese streets and shops in the style of the 1930s Yan'an Soviet. The major attraction of Golden Yan'an is "The Ode of Yan'an" nightlight show. The free show depicts a series of historical moments from the Communist Party's Yan'an period presented with a light show on the mountains and an audio-visual projection on Baota Mountain. Yan'an Red Street uses red culture-themed stories to connect the soul of the entire neighborhood. In addition, unlike other tourist attractions, Yan'an Red Street has created many innovative interactive experiential projects, allowing tourists to experience a Red Street journey that integrates body and soul.
Explore Yan'an
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Hukou Waterfalls 壶口瀑布
Huangdi Mausoleum 黄帝陵
Yan'an 延安
Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Museum 延安革命纪念馆
Yan’an Pagoda Hill 宝塔山
Yanchuan Yellow River Qiankun Bend 延川黄河乾坤湾
Yangjialing Revolutionary Site 杨家岭革命旧址
Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site 枣园革命旧址
Hukou Waterfall Shaanxi Side 黄河壶口瀑布陕西侧
Yangjialing and Zaoyuan Revolutionary Sites 杨家岭与枣园革命旧址
Qiankun Bay 乾坤湾
Yongning Mountain Ancient Fortress 永宁山古寨
Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area 甘泉雨岔大峡谷正规开放区
Baota District 宝塔区
Ansai District 安塞区
Yanchang County 延长县
Yanchuan County 延川县
Zhidan County 志丹县
Wuqi County 吴起县
Ganquan County 甘泉县
Fu County 富县
Luochuan County 洛川县
Yichuan County 宜川县
Huanglong County 黄龙县
Huangling County 黄陵县
Zichang 子长市
Places to explore around Yan'an
Hukou Waterfall · 壶口瀑布Hukou Waterfalls壶口瀑布
At Hukou, the broad Yellow River is squeezed into a rocky gorge, producing the waterfall’s kettle-spout shape. This page concerns the Shaanxi bank in Yichuan County, facing the separate Shanxi-side attraction across the river…
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Xuanyuan Temple at the Huangdi Mausoleum complex · 黄帝陵轩辕庙 Photograph date recorded by the source: 2005年11月1日 Nov.1 2005.Huangdi Mausoleum黄帝陵
Huangdi Mausoleum at Qiaoshan is a long-established place of commemoration for the legendary Yellow Emperor. The visit has two distinct settings: Xuanyuan Temple below the hill, with memorial inscriptions and ancient cypresses…
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Yan’an viewed from Baota Mountain · 宝塔山看延安 Photograph date recorded by the source: 11 November 2025, 13:08:45.Yan'an延安
Yan’an’s urban valleys bring together a much older hilltop pagoda and the residential compounds associated with the Communist leadership’s years in northern Shaanxi. The Revolutionary Memorial Museum provides the chronology…
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Facade and plaza of the Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Hall. Photograph date recorded by the source: 2024-06-13.Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Museum延安革命纪念馆
Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Museum introduces the years when the Communist leadership was based in northern Shaanxi, from 1935 to 1948. Its collections go beyond portraits and speeches: printing equipment, medical tools…
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Pagoda Hill and its summit pagoda in Yan’an. Photograph date recorded by the source: 2025-11-11 14:56:30.Yan’an Pagoda Hill宝塔山
Pagoda Hill rises above central Yan’an with an octagonal, nine-storey brick pagoda that became the city’s best-known revolutionary-era symbol. The present tower is a Ming structure on a site with earlier origins. The hill offers…
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Yanchuan Yellow River Qiankun Bend (延川黄河乾坤湾), Yanchuan County. Photograph: "黄河乾坤湾 1".Yanchuan Yellow River Qiankun Bend延川黄河乾坤湾
Qiankun Bend is a pronounced Yellow River meander in Yanchuan's plateau-and-gorge landscape.
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A cave-style building at the Yangjialing Revolutionary Site in Yan'an, marked as the former Central Women's Movement Committee office · 延安杨家岭革命旧址窑洞式建筑，原中央妇女运动委员会旧址 Source-recorded photograph date: 2019-10-05 11:07:03.Yangjialing Revolutionary Site杨家岭革命旧址
Yangjialing is a historic Communist Party headquarters site in Yan'an, with cave dwellings, offices and assembly buildings in a loess hillside setting. It offers a direct view of the spaces associated with the Yan'an period.
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Former residence of Ren Bishi at the Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site, Baota District, Yan'an · 延安市宝塔区枣园革命旧址任弼时旧居 Source-recorded photograph date: 2023-10-09 11:18:25.Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site枣园革命旧址
Zaoyuan is a former Communist Party Secretariat site northwest of central Yan'an. Its garden-like grounds, cave residences and small assembly spaces provide a different setting from the larger memorial museum and Yangjialing complex.
Read the place guide →
Hukou Waterfall Shaanxi Side · 黄河壶口瀑布陕西侧Hukou Waterfall Shaanxi Side黄河壶口瀑布陕西侧
The Shaanxi side of Hukou Waterfall (黄河壶口瀑布陕西侧) is the visitor area at Hukou town in Yichuan County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, where the Yellow River drops at the boundary with Shanxi's Ji County.
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Yangjialing and Zaoyuan Revolutionary Sites (杨家岭与枣园革命旧址), Baota District. Photograph: "Yanan Shaanxi maoist city IMG 8453".Yangjialing and Zaoyuan Revolutionary Sites杨家岭与枣园革命旧址
Yangjialing and Zaoyuan (杨家岭与枣园革命旧址) are the two revolutionary-period sites in Yan'an, Shaanxi, that the catalogue groups under one entry: Yangjialing, the base of the Communist Party's central organs from November 1938 to March 1947, and Zaoyuan, eight kilometres north-west of the city, seat of the Party's Secretariat from October 1943 to March 1947.
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The horseshoe bend of the Yellow River at Qiankun Bay, Yanchuan County · 延川县乾坤湾，黄河河曲 Source-recorded photograph date: 2025-11-10 12:12:14.Qiankun Bay乾坤湾
Qiankun Bay (乾坤湾) is the sharpest of the five S-shaped bends the Yellow River makes inside Yanchuan County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, and the scenic area built around it, in Qiankunwan town facing Shanxi's Yonghe County across the river.
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AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Yongning Mountain Ancient Fortress永宁山古寨
Yongning Mountain (永宁山), also called Dashiloutai Mountain, is a red sandstone peak about 28 kilometres south of Zhidan county town in Yan'an, Shaanxi, carrying a cliff-cut stockade in three tiers.
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Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area · 甘泉雨岔大峡谷正规开放区Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area甘泉雨岔大峡谷正规开放区
The Ganquan Grand Canyon open area (甘泉雨岔大峡谷正规开放区) is the managed part of the valley-type Danxia canyon group at Yucha gully in Xiasiwan town, Ganquan County, Yan'an, Shaanxi, whose officially open canyons the county government lists by name.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Yan'an local specialties
延安市特色美食 · 14 specialties to discover
Yan'an stewed lamb 延安炖羊肉AI dish illustration · AI 菜品示意图
The dish is meaty and warming, with tender flesh and a broth that may be clear or more concentrated.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Northern Shaanxi grated potato grains 陕北洋芋擦擦AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
A steamed serving is soft and gently potato-flavoured; a fried one has a stronger aroma and more texture. The aim is loose pieces rather than a single sticky cake.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Steamed Grated Potato 洋芋擦擦
Steamed Grated Potato (洋芋擦擦) is a Yan'an (延安) dish of grated potato strips tossed with flour and seasonings and steamed, then either dressed with a sauce or fried again.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Zichang thin pancake wraps 子长煎饼AI illustration · AI 示意图
The wrapper is soft and pliable, contrasting with fresh or cooked fillings and a tangy, sometimes spicy sauce.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Yan'an Fried Sweet Cakes 延安油糕AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Yan'an Fried Sweet Cakes (延安油糕) are cakes of sticky broomcorn millet (糜子), steamed and then deep-fried, from Yan'an (延安) in northern Shaanxi.
Read the dish guide →
Minjie Pressed Noodles 抿节
Minjie Pressed Noodles (抿节) are short noodles made by pushing dough through a perforated board into boiling water.
Read the dish guide →
Mutton Pressed Noodles 羊肉饸饹
Mutton Pressed Noodles (羊肉饸饹) are pressed buckwheat noodles served with mutton soup, a pairing the Yan'an (延安) city government describes as a northern Shaanxi dish.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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Yellow Millet Steamed Buns 黄米馍馍
Yellow Millet Steamed Buns (黄米馍馍) is a New Year food in Wuqi County (吴起县), made by fermenting and steaming yellow millet flour. The buns are golden, soft and sweet, with a lotus-like shape about the size of a fist.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
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All dish names · 全部菜名 (14)
- Yan'an stewed lamb · 延安炖羊肉
- Northern Shaanxi grated potato grains · 陕北洋芋擦擦
- Steamed Grated Potato · 洋芋擦擦
- Zichang thin pancake wraps · 子长煎饼
- Yan'an Fried Sweet Cakes · 延安油糕
- Minjie Pressed Noodles · 抿节
- Mutton Pressed Noodles · 羊肉饸饹
- Yellow Millet Steamed Buns · 黄米馍馍
- Flattened Bean and Millet Porridge · 钱钱饭
- Yanan Fried Millet Rings · 油馍馍
- Ganquan Dried Tofu · 甘泉豆腐干
- Wuqi chopped buckwheat noodles · 吴起剁荞面
- Luochuan Pressed Noodles · 洛川饸饹
- Huangling Soft Millet Buns · 黄陵软馍
More dishes from across Shaanxi are in the Shaanxi food guide.
Counties & districts in Yan'an
13 areas belong directly to Yan'an.
13 areas
Baota District 宝塔区
Baota District (simplified Chinese: 宝塔区; traditional Chinese: 寶塔區; pinyin: Bǎotǎ Qū) is a district in Yan'an, Shaanxi, China.
Explore the area →DistrictAnsai District 安塞区
Ansai (simplified Chinese: 安塞区; traditional Chinese: 安塞區; pinyin: Ānsāi Qū) is a district of the city of Yan'an, Shaanxi province, China.
Explore the area →CountyYanchang County 延长县
Yanchang County (simplified Chinese: 延长县; traditional Chinese: 延長縣; pinyin: Yáncháng Xiàn) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yan'an, in the northeast of Shaanxi Province…
Explore the area →CountyYanchuan County 延川县
Yanchuan County (simplified Chinese: 延川县; traditional Chinese: 延川縣; pinyin: Yánchuān Xiàn) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yan'an, in the northeast of Shaanxi Province…
Explore the area →Show fewer areas
Zhidan County 志丹县
Zhidan (simplified Chinese: 志丹县; traditional Chinese: 志丹縣; pinyin: Zhìdān Xiàn) is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yan'an, in the northwest of Shaanxi Province, China…
Explore the area →CountyWuqi County 吴起县
Wuqi County (simplified Chinese: 吴起县; traditional Chinese: 吳起縣; pinyin: Wúqǐ Xiàn) is a county under the jurisdiction of Yan'an City, in the northwest of Shaanxi Province, China, bordering Gansu province to…
Explore the area →CountyGanquan County 甘泉县
Ganquan County (simplified Chinese: 甘泉县; traditional Chinese: 甘泉縣; pinyin: Gānquán Xiàn) is a county in the north of Shaanxi province, China.
Explore the area →CountyFu County 富县
Fu County or Fuxian (simplified Chinese: 富县; traditional Chinese: 富縣; pinyin: Fù Xiàn) is a county in the south of Yan'an City, Shaanxi Province, China.
Explore the area →CountyLuochuan County 洛川县
Luochuan County (simplified Chinese: 洛川县; traditional Chinese: 洛川縣; pinyin: Luòchuān Xiàn) is a county in the south of Yan'an City, located in the north of Shaanxi province, China.
Explore the area →CountyYichuan County 宜川县
Yichuan County (simplified Chinese: 宜川县; traditional Chinese: 宜川縣; pinyin: Yíchuān Xiàn) is a county in northern Shaanxi Province, China, bordering Shanxi province to the east across the Yellow River.
Explore the area →CountyHuanglong County 黄龙县
Huanglong County (simplified Chinese: 黄龙县; traditional Chinese: 黃龍縣; pinyin: Huánglóng Xiàn; lit. 'yellow dragon') is a county of Yan'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
Explore the area →CountyHuangling County 黄陵县
Huangling County (simplified Chinese: 黄陵县; traditional Chinese: 黃陵縣; pinyin: Huánglíng Xiàn) is a county in the north of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Gansu province to the west.
Explore the area →County-level cityZichang 子长市
Zichang (simplified Chinese: 子长市; traditional Chinese: 子長市; pinyin: Zǐcháng Shì) is a city in the north of Shaanxi province (Shaanbei), China.
Explore the area →No areas match this name.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 延安市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Hukou Waterfalls and Huangdi Mausoleum are about 125 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Shaanxi →More in Shaanxi
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Background text adapted from Yan'an — Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text has been shortened and reorganized; source revision 1368893792.
Photo: Hukou Waterfalls · Leruswing · CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia thumbnail; fitted to the ranking-card frame.
Photo: Huangdi Mausoleum · cncs · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Yan'an · H2v5o68z · CC0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Yan’an Revolutionary Memorial Museum · Ghrkya · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Yan’an Pagoda Hill · H2v5o68z · CC0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Yanchuan Yellow River Qiankun Bend · H2v5o68z · CC0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Yangjialing Revolutionary Site · Liuxingy · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Zaoyuan Revolutionary Site · 源義信 · CC BY 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Hukou Waterfall Shaanxi Side · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Yangjialing and Zaoyuan Revolutionary Sites · Wuyouyuan · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Photo: Qiankun Bay · H2v5o68z · CC0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Ganquan Yucha Grand Canyon Visitor Area · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.