YanAn

Situated in Northern Shaanxi Province on the Loess Plateau, Yan'an overlooks the middle reaches of the Yellow River, the cradle of Chinese Civilization. Yan'an, called 'Yanzhou' in ancient times, has a history stretching back about 1,400 years and it has long been the political, economic, cultural and military center of North Shaanxi. Nowadays it is a city which boasts one district and twelve counties. Holding a prominent place in Chinese military history, Yan'an is a revolutionary holy place in China. It used to be the military headquarters during the Chinese Anti-Japanese War (1937-1945) and China's War of Liberation (1945-1949) and was the location of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.