Shaanbei () or Northern Shaanxi is the portion of China's

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

province north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge (the so-called " Guanzhong north mountains"), and is both a geographic as well as a cultural area. It makes up the southeastern portion of the Ordos Basin and forms the northern part of the

Loess Plateau The Chinese Loess Plateau, or simply the Loess Plateau, is a plateau in north-central China formed of loess, a clastic silt-like sediment formed by the accumulation of wind-blown dust. It is located southeast of the Gobi Desert and is surrounde ...

. The region includes two prefectural cities of Yulin, which is known for the

Ming Great Wall The Ming Great Wall ( zh, c=明長城, p=Ming changcheng), built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), forms the most visible parts of the Great Wall of China today. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded ...

traversing through its northern part; and

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an) ...

, which is known as the birthplace of the

Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution, officially known as the Chinese People's War of Liberation in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and also known as the National Protection War against the Communist Rebellion in the Republic of China (ROC ...

Geography

Shaanbei is located in the northern edge of the Loess Plateau with a general elevation range of , occupying approximately 45% of the total area of Shaanxi. Elevation tends to increase from northwest to southeast. The northern portions degrade into the

Ordos Desert The Ordos Desert () is a desert/steppe region in Northwest China, administrated under the prefecture of Ordos City in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region (centered ca. ). It extends over an area of approximately , and comprises two sub-des ...

, while the southern portions slope up into hills. Shaanbei is generally perceived to include all of Yulin and the northern half of

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

, while the mountainous southern Yan'an is based around the Luo River valley and regarded as part of the Guanzhong Basin.

Culture

Shaanbei culture includes a number of distinct art forms, such as its distinctive forms of folk singing, waist-drums, paper-cutting, and a distinct form of

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

known as "farmer painting". The predominant language of Shaanbei is

Jin Chinese Jin (; ) is a proposed group of varieties of Chinese spoken by roughly 63 million people in northern China, including most of Shanxi province, much of central Inner Mongolia, and adjoining areas in Hebei, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces. The status ...

, with the southern areas being a transition zone into

Guanzhong dialect The Guanzhong dialect ( zh, s=关中话, t=關中話, p=Guānzhōnghuà) is a dialect of Central Plains Mandarin spoken in Shaanxi's Guanzhong region, including the prefecture-level city of Xi'an. Since people from Xi'an are considered the protot ...

Shaanbei folk singing

Shaanbei's style of folk-singing is distinct from other types of folk singing throughout China, and has gained fame via a number of media depictions, such as in the 1984 film ''

Yellow Earth ''Yellow Earth'' () is a 1984 Chinese drama film. This film is telling a story of a young, village girl who bravely resists old-dated customs and searches for freedom. It was the directorial debut for Chen Kaige. The film's notable cinematogra ...

''. The songs are typically about the struggles of rural life, such as poverty and

arranged marriages Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

. Many of these folks songs are hundreds of years old, and passed down from generation to generation.

Waist drums

Certain celebrations in Shaanbei are accompanied by dancers hoisting Ansai waist-drums called ''yaogu'' ( 腰鼓), small drums strapped to the front of the dancers' waist. This tradition gained national notoriety through the film Yellow Earth, which included a scene featuring over 150 real drummers from the region.

Paper cutting

Paper cutting is another art-form traditional to the Shaanbei region, serving a number of different purposes. In addition to beautifying the environment during important festivals, paper cut art also serves as a symbol of love and fertility during marriage, can be used to pay respects to various religious figures, incorporated into embroidery, or simply serve as toys.

Farmer painting

Shaanbei farmer painting is a tradition hundreds of years old, dating back to dynastic promotion of painting. These types of paintings often feature bright colors and depictions of animals. Key characteristics of farmer painting is that it commonly takes on subjects specific to the local region, its emphasis on expression rather than adhering to specific rules, use of thick outlines of shapes, use of artist's conception, heavy usage of

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sym ...

, and bright colors.

References

Regions of China Geography of Shaanxi {{Shaanxi-geo-stub