Yan'an; ; alternatively spelled as Yenan is a

prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province of China, province and above a Counties of the People's Republic of China, county in China's ...

in the

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

region of

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

, China, bordering

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

to the east and

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an), which served as the headquarters of the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

(CCP) before the city of Yan'an proper took that role. Yan'an was near the endpoint of the

Long March The Long March ( zh, s=长征, p=Chángzhēng, l=Long Expedition) was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and ...

, and became the center of the

Chinese Communist Revolution The Chinese Communist Revolution was a social revolution, social and political revolution in China that began in 1927 and culminated with the proclamation of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The revolution was led by the Chinese C ...

from late 1935 to early 1947. Chinese communists celebrate Yan'an as the birthplace of the revolution. As of 2019, Yan'an has approximately 2,255,700 permanent residents.

History

Yan'an was populated at least as early as the

Xia dynasty The Xia dynasty (; ) is the first dynasty in traditional Chinese historiography. According to tradition, it was established by the legendary figure Yu the Great, after Emperor Shun, Shun, the last of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, Fiv ...

, when it formed part of . The area was not part of the subsequent

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

, and was instead inhabited by the

Guifang Guifang () was an ancient ethnonym for a northern people that fought against the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE). Chinese historical tradition used various names in different periods for northern tribes such as the Guifang, Rong, Di,Old Text Bamb ...

, who fought against the Shang dynasty. The area was later inhabited by the

Quanrong The Quanrong () or Dog Rong were an ethnic group, classified by the ancient Chinese as " Qiang", active in the northwestern part of China during and after the Zhou dynasty (1046–221 BCE). Their language or languages are considered to have been ...

and the

Xianyun The Xianyun (; Old Chinese: ( ZS) *''g.ramʔ-lunʔ''; (Schuessler) *''hɨamᴮ-juinᴮ'' < *''hŋamʔ-junʔ'') was an ancient nomadic tribe that invaded the

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...

period. During the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

, the area was inhabited by the Beidi people. In the early portions of the

Warring States period The Warring States period in history of China, Chinese history (221 BC) comprises the final two and a half centuries of the Zhou dynasty (256 BC), which were characterized by frequent warfare, bureaucratic and military reforms, and ...

, the central and northern parts of present-day Yan'an belonged to the state of Wei, while the southern part belonged to the state of Qin. Later on in the Warring States period, the whole area was conquered by the Qin state. Upon the establishment of the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ) was the first Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China. It is named for its progenitor state of Qin, a fief of the confederal Zhou dynasty (256 BC). Beginning in 230 BC, the Qin under King Ying Zheng enga ...

in 221 BCE, the area was organized as part of

Shang Commandery Shang Commandery ( zh, c=上郡, l=Upper Commandery) was a historical commandery of China. It was located in modern-day Northern Shaanxi. The commandery was established during the reign of Marquess Wen of Wei. In 328 BC, it was annexed by the Q ...

. The area remained part of Shang Commandery during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. The area's

administrative divisions Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

were reorganized during the

Northern Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...

: the southern portion was organized as , which comprised , , Yizhou Commandery (), and Lezhou Commandery (); the northern portion was organized as , which comprised Biancheng Commandery (), , Shang Commandery, and

Shuofang Commandery Shuofang () was an ancient Chinese commandery, situated in the Hetao region in modern-day Inner Mongolia near Baotou. First founded by Emperor Wu of Han in the wake of the successful reconquest of the area from Xiongnu tribes, it was dissolved du ...

, as well as within Xià Prefecture. During the During the

Western Wei Wei (), known in historiography as the Western Wei (), was an imperial dynasty of China that followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei. One of the Northern dynasties during the era of the Northern and Southern dynasties, it ruled the weste ...

, the area was organized as , Fu Prefecture, and Dan Prefecture. Under the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

, the area was re-organized as , and a military base was established. During the subsequent

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

, the area belonged to , and it became an important defensive outpost. Upon the Tang dynasty's establishment in 618 CE, three local commanderies were replaced with

prefectures A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''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 inter ...

. The following year, another prefecture, was created in the area of present-day Yan'an. The prefecture system was briefly abolished in 742 CE, resulting in the area's four prefectures being reclassified as commanderies, although this was reverted in 758 CE. At the beginning of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

, the area's four local prefectures belonged to . However, early on in the Song dynasty, the newly formed

Tangut Tangut may refer to: *Tangut people, an ancient ethnic group in Northwest China *Tangut language, the extinct language spoken by the Tangut people *Tangut script, the writing system used to write the Tangut language *Tangut (Unicode block) *Wester ...

-led

Western Xia dynasty The Western Xia or the Xi Xia ( zh, c=, w=Hsi1 Hsia4, p=Xī Xià), officially the Great Xia ( zh, c=大夏, w=Ta4 Hsia4, p=Dà Xià, labels=no), also known as the Tangut Empire, and known as Stein (1972), pp. 70–71. to the Tanguts ...

briefly conquered northwestern portions of present-day Yan'an. Upon reconquering the area, the Song government placed it under the jurisdiction of two military-run jurisdictions known as : and Dingbian Jun (). In 1041, was established in present-day Yan'an. In 1080, Chinese

polymath A polymath or polyhistor is an individual whose knowledge spans many different subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. Polymaths often prefer a specific context in which to explain their knowledge, ...

Shen Kuo Shen Kuo (; 1031–1095) or Shen Gua, courtesy name Cunzhong (存中) and Art name#China, pseudonym Mengqi (now usually given as Mengxi) Weng (夢溪翁),Yao (2003), 544. was a Chinese polymath, scientist, and statesman of the Song dynasty (960� ...

was deployed to Yan Prefecture to aid in its defenses against the Western Xia.Sivin (1995), III, 8. Around this time, he noted that a landslide on the bank of a large river near Yan Prefecture had revealed an open space several dozens of feet under the ground once the bank collapsed.Needham (1986), Volume 3, 614. This underground space contained hundreds of petrified bamboos still intact with roots and trunks, "all turned to stone" as Shen wrote. Shen noted that bamboo does not grow in the area, and he was puzzled during which previous dynasty the bamboos could have grown. Considering that damp and gloomy low places provide suitable conditions for the growth of bamboo, Shen deduced that the area's climate must have fit that description in very ancient times. Although this would have intrigued many of his readers, the study of

paleoclimatology Paleoclimatology ( British spelling, palaeoclimatology) is the scientific study of climates predating the invention of meteorological instruments, when no direct measurement data were available. As instrumental records only span a tiny part of ...

in medieval China did not develop into an established discipline. During the autumn months of 1081, Shen was successful in defending Song dynasty territory while capturing several nearby fortified towns of the Western Xia.Sivin (1995), III, 9.

Emperor Shenzong of Song Emperor Shenzong of Song (25 May 1048 – 1 April 1085), personal name Zhao Xu, was the sixth emperor of the Song dynasty of China. His original personal name was Zhao Zhongzhen but he changed it to "Zhao Xu" after he acceded to the throne. He ...

rewarded Shen with numerous titles for his merit in these battles, and in the sixteen months of Shen's military campaign, he received 273 letters from the Emperor. However, Emperor Shenzong trusted an arrogant military officer who disobeyed the emperor and Shen's proposal for strategic fortifications, instead fortifying what Shen considered useless strategic locations. Furthermore, this officer expelled Shen from his commanding post at the main

citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

, so as to deny him any glory in chance of victory. The result of this was nearly catastrophic, as the forces of the arrogant officer were decimated; Xinzhong Yao states that the death toll was 60,000.Yao (2003), 544. Nonetheless, Shen was successful in defending his fortifications and the only possible Tangut invasion-route to Yanzhou. However, it was eventually taken over by the Tanguts in 1082 once Shen's defensive victories were marginalized and sacrificed by the new chancellor Cai Que (who handed the city over to the Tanguts as terms of a peace treaty). In 1089, Yan Prefecture was renamed to Yan'an, and was promoted to a fu. At the start of the

Jin dynasty Jin may refer to: States Jìn 晉 * Jin (Chinese state) (晉國), major state of the Zhou dynasty, existing from the 11th century BC to 376 BC * Jin dynasty (266–420) (晉朝), also known as Liang Jin and Sima Jin * Jin (Later Tang precursor) ...

, Fuyan Circuit remained intact, and administered Yan'an Fu, Fu Prefecture, Fang Prefecture, Dan Prefecture, , Bao'an Jun, and Dingbian Jun. In 1146, Dingbian Jun was abolished, and in 1171, Bao'an Jun was reorganized as a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

. In 1182, Bao'an County was reorganized as Bao'an Prefecture. In 1221, the

Mongol Empire The Mongol Empire was the List of largest empires, largest contiguous empire in human history, history. Originating in present-day Mongolia in East Asia, the Mongol Empire at its height stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Euro ...

, led by

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

, began its invasion of

with the aid of the Western Xia. That year, in the eastern portion of present-day Yan'an, the combined Mongol and Western Xia forces defeated a 30,000-strong Jin army led by

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

. During the Yuan

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

, was established, which administered Fu Prefecture, , and Suide Prefecture. In 1369, during the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

, Yan'an Circuit was reverted back to a fu. In 1725, during the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

, the was established in the area, which administered Yan'an Fu and Fu Prefecture. Prior to the

Dungan Revolt (1862–1877) The Dungan Revolt (1862–1877), also known as the Tongzhi Hui Revolt (, Xiao'erjing: تُ‌جِ خُوِ لُوًا, ) or Hui (Muslim) Minorities War, was a war fought in 19th-century western China, mostly during the reign of the Tongzhi Emp ...

, much of rural Yan'an was inhabited by

Chinese Muslims The Hui people are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the northwestern provinces and in the Zhongyuan region. According to the ...

. Much of its Muslim population was either killed in massacres, or forcibly relocated to areas further northwest, like

. The demographic impacts of this was felt for decades, as the local economy cratered, and insufficient government support hindered recovery efforts: In 1823, Bao'an (present-day

Zhidan County Zhidan () is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Yan'an, in the northwest of Shaanxi Province, China, bordering Gansu Province to the south. The county has an area of , and a population of 141,600 as of 2012. Zhidan C ...

) had a population of 51,000, but only 170 remained in 1868; while Yan'an (present-day

Baota District Baota District ( zh, s=宝塔区, t=寶塔區, p=Bǎotǎ Qū) is a district in Yan'an, Shaanxi, China. The district has an area of , and a permanent population of 497,085 as of 2019. Baota District serves as Yan'an's administrative center, hosting ...

) had 61,200 inhabitants in 1823, but only about 10,000 in 1930. One account from a British traveler in 1911 described Yan'an as "a city of pretentious Government Offices long fallen into decay...Gazing down a vista of dim distant years one caught a glimpse of past splendour; but the living forces of which it had been the drapery and symbols had long since died out, leaving stagnation, corruption and decay to reign in its halls". After the fall of the Qing dynasty, the city became part of the newly created

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, and was reorganized by the Republican government in 1913 under . In 1920, the circuit's government was moved to the city of Fushi, within present-day Baota District. Circuits were abolished in 1928, resulting in counties being directly administered by the provincial government. Throughout the Republic of China,

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

-like

landlordism Concentration of land ownership refers to the ownership of land in a particular area by a small number of people or organizations. It is sometimes defined as additional concentration beyond that which produces optimally efficient land use. Distr ...

persisted in Yan'an, and a number of observers found it to be worse in the region than elsewhere in rural China.

Red Capital and the Chinese Civil War

In 1934, two regional

soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...

were established. In October 1935, following the

, forces of the

Chinese Red Army The Chinese Red Army, formally the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=中國工農紅軍) or just the Red Army( zh, labels=no, t=紅軍), was the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1928 to 1937. I ...

arrived in the area from

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

. The following month, communist forces established a regional government in Wayaobu and re-organized regional soviet administrations. In May 1936, the area was re-organized by communist forces as Shaan-Gan-Ning Province (). In December 1936, at the start of the

Second United Front The Second United Front ( zh, t=第二次國共合作 , s=第二次国共合作 , first=t , l=Second Nationalist-Communist Cooperation, p=dì èr cì guógòng hézuò ) was the alliance between the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) and the Chinese Co ...

, Yan'an was taken over by the Chinese Communists. When

Edgar Snow Edgar Parks Snow (July 19, 1905 – February 15, 1972) was an American journalist known for his books and articles on communism in China and the Chinese Communist Revolution. He was the first Western journalist to give an account of the history of ...

went there in 1936, it was under

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT) is a major political party in the Republic of China (Taiwan). It was the one party state, sole ruling party of the country Republic of China (1912-1949), during its rule from 1927 to 1949 in Mainland China until Retreat ...

control and a Red army siege had recently been lifted. Unknown to him at the time, there had also been contacts there between the Communists and the generals who later staged the

Xi'an Incident The Xi'an Incident was a Chinese political crisis that lasted from 12 to 26 December 1936. Chiang Kai-shek, the leader of the Nationalist government of China, was arrested in Xi'an by soldiers of the Northeastern Army under the command of Ge ...

. Snow actually met Mao at Bao'an (Pao An). Having rebelled against Chiang, the local warlords decided to hand over Yan'an to the Communists, who were now allies. They pulled out, and in January 1937, the Red Army entered Yan'an, without a fight. Around this time, American journalist

Agnes Smedley Agnes Smedley (February 23, 1892 – May 6, 1950) was an American journalist, writer and activist who supported the Indian Independence Movement and the Chinese Communist Revolution. Raised in a poverty-stricken miner's family in Missouri and Col ...

was covering the Communist

Eighth Route Army The Eighth Route Army (), officially titled as the List of Army Groups of the National Revolutionary Army, 18th Group Army, was a Field army, group army nominally under the banner of the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of Ch ...

, which she wrote about in her book

Battle Hymn of China ''Battle Hymn of China'' by Agnes Smedley, reprinted as ''China Correspondent'', is a book of reporting containing a first-hand account of the early years of the Sino-Japanese War, from the viewpoint of a US journalist and left-wing activist. A 1 ...

. On September 6, 1937, Yan'an became the seat of the communist government of what became known as the

Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region The Yan'an Soviet was a soviet governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the 1930s and 1940s. In October 1936 it became the final destination of the Long March, and served as the CCP's main base until after the Second Sino-Japanese War ...

. It became the center for intensive training of party members and army troops. Thousands of intellectuals traveled to Yan'an from all over the country. From 1937 through 1941, the Communist government organized large-scale migrations to Yan'an, predominantly from

Suide Suide County () is a county of Yulin, Shaanxi, China, bordering Shanxi province across the Yellow River to the southeast. Administrative divisions , Suide County is divided to 15 towns. ;Towns Climate Transportation *China National Highway ...

to the northeast, which was a significantly more densely populated area. Many farmers from the region were attracted to Yan'an for the prospect of working more land, as well as the Communists' land and tax reforms. From 1937 to 1939, over 1,500,000 '' mu'' of previously unused land was cleared for agriculture. During this time, the large drive for intense rural labor earned its detractors, and was publicly criticized by some for "giving people a distaste for collective labour". Subsequently, these types of large-scale labor projects would be handled by the army. In 1941,

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

put special influence on a series of training programs to "correct unorthodox tendencies" and essentially mold the peasantry to the communist model. One of the first CCP programs launched was the

Yan'an Rectification Movement The Yan'an Rectification Movement ( zh, s=延安整风运动, t=延安整風運動, p=Yán'ān Zhěngfēng Yùndòng) was a political mass movement led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1942 to 1945. The movement took place in the Ya ...

World War II and resumption of the Chinese Civil War

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

almost all buildings, except a pagoda, were destroyed by Japanese bombing, and most inhabitants took to living in

yaodong A yaodong (窰 in native Jin Chinese, or 窰洞 ''yáodòng'' in Beijing Mandarin) is a particular form of Earth sheltering, earth shelter dwelling common in the Loess Plateau in China's north. They are generally carved out of a hillside or exc ...

s, artificial caves or

dugout Dugout may refer to: * Dugout (shelter), an underground shelter * Dugout (boat), a logboat * Dugout (smoking), a marijuana container Sports * In bat-and-ball sports, a dugout is one of two areas where players of the home or opposing teams sit whe ...

s carved into hillsides which were traditional dwellings in

. While Yan'an was the center of Chinese communist life many prominent Western journalists including

and

Anna Louise Strong Anna Louise Strong (November 24, 1885 – March 29, 1970) was an American journalist and activist, best known for her reporting on and support for Communism, communist movements in the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.Archives Wes ...

met with Mao Zedong and other important leaders for interviews. Other Westerners, such as

Hsiao Li Hsiao Li Lindsay, Baroness Lindsay of Birker (; 17 July 1916 – 25 April 2010) was a British peeress who supported Chinese Communist resistance to the Japanese occupation of China during the Second World War. Early life and wartime activity ...

and Michael Lindsay, were part of the resistance movement in Yan'an. In July 1942,

Wuqi County Wuqi County ( zh, s=吴起县 , t=吳起縣 , p=Wúqǐ Xiàn) is a county under the jurisdiction of Yan'an City, in the northwest of Shaanxi Province, China, bordering Gansu province to the southwest. The county spans an area of , and has a popu ...

was established. Beginning in 1944, Yan'an played host to the

United States Army Observation Group The United States Army Observation Group (), commonly known as the Dixie Mission (), was the first US effort to gather intelligence and establish relations with the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army, then headquartered in ...

, also known as the Dixie Mission. This group sought to establish relations with Chinese Communist forces, investigate the Communist Party politically and militarily, and determine whether the United States should back Communist forces. Prominent Americans tasked with evaluating the Communist forces politically and militarily include John S. Service of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

, and

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

David D. Barrett of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. The mission explored possible plans for cooperation against the Japanese. The Americans had a presence in Yan'an from 1944 to 1947. In May 1945, the government of the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border moved from Yan'an to Xi'an. Yan'an was briefly captured in the

Battle of Yan'an After World War II, Hu Zongnan battled the Chinese Communist Party and in the early stage of the struggle, was successful in the Battle of Yan'an capturing Yan'an, the capital of the communist base in Shaanxi. Yan'an became the capital of the C ...

by the Kuomintang forces in the

Chinese Civil War The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led Nationalist government, government of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the forces of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Armed conflict continued intermitt ...

. The Communist leadership learned of a planned attack in advance, and ultimately voluntarily withdrew from the city. From then until their capture of

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

they were usually based somewhere else, often with a mobile headquarters. On April 21, 1948, the

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

retook Yan'an.

People's Republic of China

In May 1950, under the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, Yan'an was re-organized as Yan'an District (), and was further re-organized as a special district () in October. Yan'an was later established as a

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''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 inter ...

(). On November 15, 1996, Yan'an Area was revoked and established as a

. Yan'an's experienced fast-paced

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period (2006–2010). From 2011 to 2015, it underwent a

red tourism Red tourism (, ) is tourism at locations significant to communism. It is a subset of domestic and international tourism in current or former communist countries such as China and Russia, in which people visit locations with historical significan ...

-oriented beautification project. Xi Jinping visited Yan'an in 2015. During the visit, he emphasized the importance of studying the Communist Party's history in Yan'an and called for a renewed focus on the principles of

Marxism–Leninism Marxism–Leninism () is a communist ideology that became the largest faction of the History of communism, communist movement in the world in the years following the October Revolution. It was the predominant ideology of most communist gov ...

Mao Zedong Thought Maoism, officially Mao Zedong Thought, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed while trying to realize a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of China and later the People's Re ...

, and the party's revolutionary tradition.

Geography

Yan'an is located in

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

on the

Loess Plateau The Loess Plateau is a plateau in north-central China formed of loess, a clastic rock, clastic silt-like sediment formed by the accumulation of Dust#Atmospheric, wind-blown dust. It is located southeast of the Gobi Desert and is surrounded by t ...

, with a latitude spanning from 35°21′ to 37°31′ N, and a longitude spanning from 107°41′ to 110°31′ E. The city is bordered by Yulin to the north,

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

Tongchuan Tongchuan ( zh, s=铜川 , t=銅川 , p=Tóngchuān , l=copper river) is a prefecture-level city located in central Shaanxi province, People's Republic of China on the southern fringe of the Loess Plateau that defines the northern half of the p ...

, and

Weinan Weinan ( zh, s=渭南 , p=Wèinán) is a prefecture-level city in east-Guanzhong, central Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, northwest China. The city lies on the lower section of the Wei River confluence into the Yellow River, about east of the provinc ...

in the

Guanzhong Guanzhong (, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanised as Kwanchung) region, also known as the Guanzhong Basin, Wei River Basin, or uncommonly as the Shaanzhong region, is a historical region of China corresponding to the crescentic graben str ...

region to the south,

Linfen Linfen () is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, China, bordering Shaanxi province to the west. Linfen City is located in the southern part of Shanxi Province, with the remaining branches of T ...

and

Lüliang Lüliang ( zh, s=吕梁 , t=呂梁 , p=Lǚliáng), also spelled as Lvliang or Lyuliang, is a prefecture-level city in western Shanxi province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shaanxi province across the Yellow River to the west, Jinzhong ...

to the east across the middle reaches of the

Yellow River The Yellow River, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

, and

Qingyang Qingyang may refer to: * Qingyang, Chengdu (成都市青羊区), a central urban district of Chengdu, Sichuan, China * Qingyang, Anhui (安徽省青阳县), a county in Anhui, China * Qingyang, Gansu (甘肃省庆阳市), a city in Gansu, China * ...

to the west across the Ziwu Ridge (). The city's elevation is hilly, and is higher in the northwest, and lower in the southeast, ranging from above sea level in elevation. The average elevation of Yan'an is approximately , and Yan'an's

urban core A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

has an elevation of about above sea level. In addition to the Yellow River flowing through Yan'an, the city's major rivers include the Yan River and the Luo River.

Climate

Yan'an has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Dwa'') that borders on a

steppe climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

(Köppen ''BSk''), with cold, dry, and moderately long winters, and hot, somewhat humid summers. Spring and autumn are short transition seasons in between. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, and the annual mean is . The area receives of precipitation, 47% of which falls in July and August. Yan'an averages around 300 days of sunshine per year.

Pollution

Yan'an experiences moderate to severe air pollution year‐round. Its basin‐like terrain combined with frequent winter temperature inversions traps locally emitted pollutants, while heavy reliance on

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

for industry and residential heating, growing vehicle use, and seasonal

dust storms A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are transported ...

from surrounding arid regions together maintain high concentrations of

particulate matter Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defin ...

(PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and gaseous contaminants such as sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and NOx, NO''x'' gases. Elevated PM_2.5 levels are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, while acid deposition from SO₂ and NO''x'' damages soils and vegetation across the fragile loess landscape. Yan'an sits atop the highly erodible Loess Plateau, where thick wind‐deposited silt forms uneven terrain that impedes horizontal dispersion of air pollutants. On the eastern edge of the plateau, a persistent “warm cover” of anomalously warm air and downdrafts suppresses vertical mixing, creating a convergence line that carries and concentrates emissions along the slopes—a phenomenon that amplifies pollution levels by 50–150% compared to flatter regions. During winter months, strong temperature inversions—layers of warmer air aloft capping colder surface air—further inhibit the vertical dilution of pollutants, leading to seasonal peaks in PM_2.5 concentrations and prolonged haze events.

Sources of pollution

Coal mining, coal‐fired Electricity generation, power generation and cement production dominate Yan'an's industrial sector, collectively releasing large volumes of SO₂, NO''x'' gases, and coarse (PM₁₀) and fine (PM_2.5) particulate matter. Inefficient combustion and fugitive dust from these facilities are key contributors to the city's annual pollution burden. In winter, over 80% of households in northern China, which includes Yan'an and its surroundings, rely on coal combustion for space heating. Traditional stoves and boilers emit high levels of black carbon and PM_2.5, driving sharp increases in airborne particulates during colder months. Road vehicles in Yan'an contribute significant quantities of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and fine particulates. Regional tracking studies identify Yulin and Yan’an as important sources for wintertime NO''x'' and PM transport within the Fen River, Fen‐Wei River, Wei River Valley, indicating that urban traffic emissions exacerbate local air quality problems. Seasonal dust storms originating in the Mu Us Desert and adjacent arid zones inject pulses of PM₁₀ into Yan'an's atmosphere. Natural dust events can elevate particulate concentrations several‐fold within hours, compounding anthropogenic pollution and sustaining prolonged haze episodes.

Administrative divisions

Demographics

As of 2019, Yan'an has approximately 2,255,700 permanent residents, a slight decrease from the 2,259,400 recorded in 2018. As of 2019, there are 2,336,587 people with a Yan'an hukou registration. This discrepancy reflects China's system of Migration in China, internal migration, as many hukou holders in more rural areas migrate to larger and more developed cities. Approximately 674,700 people lived in Yan'an's two District (China), districts (Baota District, Baota and Ansai District, Ansai) as of 2019.

Vital statistics

In 2019, Yan'an recorded a birth rate of 9.80‰ (per thousand), and a Mortality rate, death rate of 5.97‰, giving the city a rate of natural increase of 3.83‰. This is a slight decrease from 2018, when the rate of natural increase was 4.30‰.

Ethnic groups

Nearly all of Yan'an's population is ethnically Han Chinese. There are 6,000 people in Yan'an who belong to 34 different Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority groups, of which, the majority are Hui people, Hui.

Language

Three Varieties of Chinese, Chinese linguistic varieties are widely spoken in Yan'an: the Northern Shaanxi, Shaanbei dialect of Jin Chinese, the of Central Plains Mandarin, and the Guanzhong dialect of Central Plains Mandarin. Within the Shaanbei dialect, the Zhi-Yan dialect is spoken throughout much of Yan'an.

Income

In 2019, urban households earned an average Disposable Income, disposable income of 34,888 Renminbi, RMB, an 8.3% increase from the previous year. Rural households earned a lower average of 11,876 RMB, reflecting a 10.1% increase from the previous year.

Economy

Like much of China, Yan'an's economy has rapidly developed in the 21st century. Yan'an's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 stood at 166.389 billion Renminbi, RMB, more than ten times its GDP in 2000, which stood at just 13.063 billion RMB. Yan'an recorded a 6.7% increase to GDP in 2019, down from the 8.9% growth recorded in 2018, and below the peak of 19.6% annual GDP growth the city achieved in 2004. The GDP per capita of Yan'an totals 73,703 RMB as of 2019, a 6.9% increase from the previous year. Of Yan'an's county-level divisions,

recorded the largest GDP in 2019, totaling 36.391 billion RMB. Baota District is followed by Luochuan County and Huangling County, which recorded economic outputs totaling 24.387 billion and 18.593 billion RMB, respectively. Yan'an is largely reliant on its Secondary sector of the economy, secondary sector, which comprises the majority of its GDP as of 2019.

Agriculture

As of 2019, the city's output in the fields of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing totals 26.107 billion RMB. Of this, farming accounted for 21.798 billion RMB, animal husbandry accounted for 2.987 billion RMB, forestry accounted for 621.17 million RMB, fishing accounted for 72.82 million RMB, and agricultural services accounted for 628.32 million RMB. The total area of Yan'an's farmland in 2019 is 183.30 thousand hectares, of which, 72.79 thousand hectares are used for growing maize. Sizable tracts of land in Yan'an are also used to grow vegetables and soybeans. Yan'an has the second largest cotton production out of all the Prefecture-level city, prefecture-level cities in

, behind just

. The city also grows a large amount of rapeseeds, peanuts, apples, jujubes, and apricots. Yan'an is also the second largest honey producer in Shaanxi, behind Hanzhong.

Industry

As of 2019, the city's industrial output is worth 96.510 billion RMB, a 6.4% increase from the previous year at constant prices. In 2018, the petroleum industry alone accounted for 54.419 billion RMB of output. In addition to oil and natural gas, major industries in the city include coal mining, power generation, and cigarette production.

Petroleum industry

Yan'an is a major oil and gas center in China. In 2018, 15,292,400 tons of crude oil were extracted from the city. Of this, 8,565,800 tons were extracted by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum, Yanchang Petroleum, and the remaining 6,726,600 tons were extracted as part of China National Petroleum Corporation, CNPC's Changqing oil field, Changqing Oil Field. The Changqing Oil Field, part of the wider Ordos basin, one of China's main petroleum-producing regions, has been home to oil extraction since the early 1970s.

Retail

The total retail sales of consumer goods in Yan'an totaled 41.113 billion RMB in 2019. The majority of these retail sales took place in Baota District, which recorded 24.000 billion RMB of sales that year.

Culture

Yan'an's culture is more broadly part of the Northern Shaanxi, Shaanbei culture that exists throughout northern

. The area has unique traditional music, which often incorporates the use of Yaogu, waist drums, most notably those from Ansai District. The area also unique traditional Papercutting, paper cutting crafts. Yaodong, cave dwellings indigenous to the

, are also indigenous to the wider northern Shaanxi region. The Erdao Street Night Market () is a street market in

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 Chinese Communist Party, Communist Party cadres seeking to learn more about the Party's history. Red tourism to Yan'an significantly increased in the years following Xi Jinping's 2015 visit, with 40.25 million tourist visits in 2016 and 73.08 million tourist visits in 2019. 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 History of the Chinese Communist Party, 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. Shortly before the 100th Anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, centenary of the Chinese Communist Party, Yan'an launched the "Red Stars Flying Me to Yan'an from Thirteen Cities" imitative, which sought to promote tourism to Yan'an for the study of revolutionary history, including with drastically reduced airfare.

Transportation

*Yan'an Nanniwan Airport *G2211 Changyan Expressway *G65 Baotou–Maoming Expressway *China National Highway 210

Education

Yan'an is home to 251 standard primary schools and 112 standard secondary schools, enrolling 218,100 and 129,900 students, respectively. The city also has 556 kindergartens, enrolling 119,500 students. The city also has 5 special education schools, serving 372 disabled students. As of 2019, Yan'an has 13 public libraries.

Notable educational institutions

* *China Yan'an Executive Leadership Academy *Yan'an Middle School

Healthcare

Yan'an is home to 2,631 healthcare institutions as of 2019, which contain 14,560 medical beds, and are staffed by 24,298 employees.

Notes

References

External links

Official website of Yan'an GovernmentYan'an (China) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia
{{Authority control Yan'an, Cities in Shaanxi Prefecture-level divisions of Shaanxi National Famous Historical and Cultural City

History

Red Capital and the Chinese Civil War

World War II and resumption of the Chinese Civil War

People's Republic of China

Geography

Climate

Pollution

Sources of pollution

Administrative divisions

Demographics

Vital statistics

Ethnic groups

Language

Income

Economy

Agriculture

Industry

Petroleum industry

Retail

Culture

Tourism

Transportation

Education

Notable educational institutions

Healthcare

See also

Notes

References

External links