Yan'an: A City Rich with History

A pagoda constructed during the Tang Dynasty stands at the top of a small mountain overlooking Yan'an City. Photo taken on June 14, 2011. [Photo/CRIENGLISH.com]

Yan'an is a small city with a very long history. Located in Shaanxi Province, it boasts a population of two million. It has come a long way since the days when a younger Mao Zedong and other founding members of the PRC made this town a revolutionary base in 1937. It was also the final destination of The Long March.

For those who are thinking about going to Yan'an, there are a few places that should be on everyone's list.

At Yang Jia Ling, one can find the former homes of leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.

Here one can find female guides dressed up in Red Army uniforms leading visitors throughout the area. Inside the area there is the famous auditorium where some of the most important meetings during the early days of the CPC took place.

The tour guides also enjoy singing old songs for the visitors.

Also at Yang Jia Ling one can watch the famous paper-cutter Li Fuai. Not only is she a talented artist, but also a great singer. Much has been written about her, and she has been featured on many television programs highlighting her traditional Chinese talents. In 1999 she visited Paris as part of a Chinese delegation of artists to promote Chinese traditional art.

In October of 1943, Mao Zedong moved from Yang Jia Ling to what is now called The Date Garden.

Zhu De also lived here in August of 1945. During this time he was Vice Chairman of the military committee of the Central Party Committee and Commander-in-Chief of the People's Liberation Army. He left Yan'an on March 12, 1947 to become Deputy Secretary of the CPC Central Work Committee.

Zhang Wentian also resided at this location. He was General Secretary of the Party Central Secretariat and the director of the College of Marxism and Leninism during the Rectification Movement of Yan'an.

Zhou Enlai moved here in December of 1944 from Yang Jia Ling.