Yan’an Pagoda Hill 宝塔山

About Yan’an Pagoda Hill

The present tower is a Ming structure on a site with earlier origins. The hill offers a broader visit than the tower alone: cliff inscriptions mark its lower approach, and the higher Zhaixing Pavilion area looks over the folded hills and urban valleys. Treat it as a stepped hillside walk, choosing the extent of the climb to suit the open paths.

Pagoda Hill was known in ancient times as Jialing Mountain (嘉岭山) and rises to an elevation of 1,135.5 metres southeast of central Yan'an. Its pagoda (岭山寺塔) was first built during the Tang dynasty; the present octagonal, nine-storey, pavilion-style brick tower, about 44 metres tall, dates from the Ming dynasty. After the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee and its Red Army moved to Yan'an in 1935, Pagoda Hill became a symbol of the Communist revolution and has often appeared in literary and artistic works, including a poem by the writer He Jingzhi (贺敬之) recalling Yan'an with the hill's image.

What to look for

• The octagonal nine-storey pagoda, whose brick form dominates the city skyline.
• Cliff inscriptions on the lower approach and the higher Zhaixing Pavilion viewpoint.

The surrounding area

A northern base for the revolutionary museum, Baota Mountain and separately located historic sites, with its own lamb and noodle traditions.

Location & getting there

Getting to Yan’an Pagoda Hill

Approach from the Baota Bridge and Jialing Road area at the foot of the hill in central Yan’an.

• The cliff inscriptions are near this lower approach; the pagoda and upper viewpoint require an uphill visit.