Get to know Zichang
- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Yan'an
- Chinese name
- 子长市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 2,393.40 km²
- Population · 2017
- 273,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
From Anding to Zichang
In 1942, Anding County (安定县) was renamed Zichang in Xie’s memory, and the county seat moved from Anding Town (安定镇) to Wayaobao Town (瓦窑堡镇). The area had previously hosted the Communist Party’s central leadership and the Chinese Soviet government during the later land-revolution period. County-level city status followed in 2019. Xie’s former residence (谢子长故居) and memorial museum (谢子长革命烈士纪念馆) remain named destinations.
Food and folk arts
Alongside the grottoes’ religious sculpture, Zichang has traditions of suona music (子长唢呐), embroidery (子长刺绣) and daoqing performance (子长道情). Its local food traditions include pancakes (子长煎饼), liangfen (子长凉粉) and mixed-grain noodles (子长杂面).
Sources for this guide
子长概况--延安市人民政府 · Yan’an Municipal Government / Zichang Government Office
延安市政协来子长市调研石窟文化保护情况--延安市人民政府 · Yan’an Municipal Government
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-27.
Explore Zichang
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Zichang is about 55 km in a straight line from central Yan'an. Search for 子长市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →More in Yan'an
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.