:Yan'an

File:China, Miscellaneous Scenes- Street in Yan'an, Shaanxi (7454292752).jpg{{More citations needed section|date=May 2021}}

Yan'an was populated at least as early as the Xia dynasty.{{Cite web|date=2016-07-15|title=|script-title=zh:延安市历史沿革|trans-title=Yan'an Organizational History|url=http://www.xzqh.org/html/list/327.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806012152/http://xzqh.org/html/show/sn/20380.html|archive-date=2020-08-06|access-date=2021-05-14|publisher=XZQH.org}} During the Spring and Autumn period, the area was inhabited by the Beidi people. During the Western Wei the area was organized as {{Interlanguage link|Yanzhou (Western Wei)|lt=Yanzhou|zh|延州 (延安)}}. Under the Sui dynasty, the area was re-organized as {{Interlanguage link|Yan'an Commandery|zh|延安郡}},{{Cite web|date=2019-09-14|title=|script-title=zh:央视来打卡的网红延安二道街夜市文化：见证城市发展变迁|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4427607|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514161949/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_4427607|archive-date=2021-05-14|access-date=2021-05-14|website=The Paper|language=zh}} and a military base was established.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} The area became an important defensive outpost for the subsequent Tang dynasty,{{Cite book|title=International Dictionary of Historic Places, Volume 5: Asia and Oceania|publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers|year=1996|isbn=1-884964-04-4|editor-last=Schellinger|editor-first=Paul|location=London and Chicago|pages=874|editor-last2=Salkin|editor-first2=Robert}} which renamed the area Yanzhou in 758 CE. Yanzhou was a location of strategic military importance for the Chinese empire and Tanguts of the Western Xia dynasty.{{Cite web |last= |date=2021-05-06 |title=天下兖州！兼论"兖州"与"衮州"之迷……_手机网易网 |url=https://m.163.com/dy/article/G9A0ANN905527HB7.html?sid_for_share=99125_3 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.163.com |language=en}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} It was once successfully defended by the Song dynasty era Chinese scientist, statesman, and general Shen Kuo.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} 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).{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} In 1089, under the Song dynasty, Yanzhou was renamed to Yan'an, and was promoted to a fu ({{Lang-zh|c=府|s=|t=|p=}}). Yan'an and the whole of Shaanxi were taken over by the Mongols in the late 1220s, only after their leader Genghis Khan had died during the siege of the Western Xia capital in 1227.{{Cite web |title=内蒙古区情网 — 木华黎 |url=https://www.nmgqq.com.cn/renwuchanglang/gudairenwu/2018-6-27/11349.html?sid_for_share=99125_3 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.nmgqq.com.cn}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

The demographic impacts of this was felt for decades, as the local economy cratered, and insufficient government support hindered recovery efforts:{{Cite journal |last=Keating |first=Pauline |date=July 1994 |title=The Ecological Origins of the Yan'an Way |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.2307/2949830 |journal=The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs |language=en |volume=32 |issue=32 |pages=123–153 |doi=10.2307/2949830 |jstor=2949830 |issn=0156-7365}}{{Rp|page=|pages=128–129}} In 1823, Bao'an (present-day Zhidan County) had a population of 51,000, but only 170 remained in 1868; while Yan'an (present-day Baota District) had 61,200 inhabitants in 1823, but only about 10,000 in 1930.{{Rp|page=128}} 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".{{Rp|page=|pages=129–130}}

After the fall of the Qing dynasty, the city became part of the newly created Republic of China, and was reorganized by the Republican government in 1913 under {{Interlanguage link|Yulin Circuit|zh|榆林道}}.

Throughout the Republic of China, feudal-like landlordism persisted in Yan'an, and a number of observers found it to be worse in the region than elsewhere in rural China.{{Rp|page=|pages=134–135}}

File:Mao1944.jpg

In 1934, two regional soviets were established. In October 1935, following the Long March, forces of the Chinese Red Army arrived in the area from Jiangxi. 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 ({{Lang-zh|c=陕甘宁省}}). In December 1936, at the start of the Second United Front, Yan'an was taken over by the Chinese Communists.Mao Tse Tung Ruler of Red China by Robert Payne, page 175 When Edgar Snow went there in 1936, it was under Kuomintang control and a Red army siege had recently been lifted.Red Star Over China, by Edgar Snow. Page 42 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.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} Snow actually met Mao at Bao'an (Pao An).{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

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. This is described by Agnes Smedley in her book Battle Hymn of China. She was in Xi'an at the time and got to Yan'an shortly after the take-over.{{Cite web |title=史沫特莱的新四军岁月--文化--人民网 |url=http://culture.people.com.cn/GB/n1/2017/0806/c1013-29451833.html?sid_for_share=99125_3 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=culture.people.com.cn}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

On September 6, 1937, Yan'an became the seat of the communist government of what became known as the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. 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.{{Rp|page=123}} From 1937 through 1941, the Communist government organized large-scale migrations to Yan'an, predominantly from Suide to the northeast, which was a significantly more densely populated area.{{Rp|page=141|pages=}} 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.{{Rp|page=141|pages=}} From 1937 to 1939, over 1,500,000 mu of previously unused land was cleared for agriculture.{{Rp|page=143|pages=}} 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".{{Rp|page=143|pages=}} Subsequently, these types of large-scale labor projects would be handled by the army.{{Rp|page=143|pages=}} In 1941, Mao Zedong 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.{{Cite book|last1=Hua|first1=Gao|title=How the Red Sun Rose: The Origins and Development of the Yan'an Rectification Movement, 1930–1945|last2=Mosher|first2=Stacy|last3=Jian|first3=Guo|date=2018|publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press|jstor=j.ctvbtzp48|isbn=978-962-996-822-9}}{{Cite book|last=Hua|first=Gao|url=http://cup.columbia.edu/book/how-the-red-sun-rose/9789629968229|title=How the Red Sun Rose: The Origin and Development of the Yan'an Rectification Movement, 1930–1945|date=2019|publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press|isbn=978-962-996-822-9|translator-last=Mosher|translator-first=Stacey|translator-last2=Jian|translator-first2=Guo|access-date=2020-08-07|archive-date=2021-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210101102514/http://cup.columbia.edu/book/how-the-red-sun-rose/9789629968229|url-status=live}}

File:Yanan Shaanxi maoist city IMG 8453.JPG

During the Second World War almost all buildings, except a pagoda, were destroyed by Japanese bombing, and most inhabitants took to living in yaodongs, artificial caves or dugouts carved into hillsides which were traditional dwellings in Shaanxi.{{Cite web |last=李佳琦 |title=征服黄土高原的窑洞，是怎么建造的？ |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzA3NDQwMDUxMg==&mid=2651548766&idx=3&sn=528c5b7917161ef5af85c71be9f2c93d&chksm=8532fc90379c223575b9b57ca06252a484020e4687bc91ba6c72611b33b5dfc71490fe6b990e&scene=27&sid_for_share=99125_3 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Weixin Official Accounts Platform}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} While Yan'an was the center of Chinese communist life many prominent Western journalists including Edgar Snow and Anna Louise Strong met with Mao Zedong and other important leaders for interviews.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} Other Westerners, such as Hsiao Li and Michael Lindsay, were part of the resistance movement in Yan'an.{{cite web|date=2010-06-09|title=Lady Lindsay of Birker|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/7815180/Lady-Lindsay-of-Birker.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509055952/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/7815180/Lady-Lindsay-of-Birker.html|archive-date=2021-05-09|access-date=2021-05-14|website=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group}}

Beginning in 1944, Yan'an played host to the United States Army Observation Group, also known as the Dixie Mission.{{Cite news|last=Perlez|first=Jane|date=2017-01-01|title='Dixie Mission' Americans Scorned for Backing Mao Are Hailed in China|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/01/world/asia/dixie-mission-americans-china-mao.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514172429/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/01/world/asia/dixie-mission-americans-china-mao.html|archive-date=2021-05-14|issn=0362-4331}} 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, and Colonel David D. Barrett of the United States Army. The mission explored possible plans for cooperation against the Japanese.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} The Americans had a presence in Yan'an from 1944 to 1947.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Yan'an was briefly captured in the Battle of Yan'an by the Kuomintang forces in the Chinese Civil War.{{Cite web |title=回望延安 - 解放军报 - 中国军网 |url=http://www.81.cn/jfjbmap/content/2018-08/23/content_214127.htm |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.81.cn}}{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} The Communist leadership learned of a planned attack in advance and decided to pull out.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}} From then until their capture of Beijing they were usually based somewhere else, often with a mobile headquarters.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

In May 1950, under the People's Republic of China, Yan'an was re-organized as Yan'an District, and was further re-organized as a special district ({{Lang-zh|c=专区|s=|t=|p=}}) in October. Yan'an was later established as an area ({{Lang-zh|c=地区|s=|t=|p=}}).

On November 5, 1996, Yan'an Area was revoked and established as a prefecture-level city.

Yan'an's experienced fast-paced urbanization during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period (2006–2010).{{Rp|page=125}} From 2011 to 2015, it underwent a red tourism-oriented beautification project.{{Rp|page=127}}

Xi Jinping visited Yan'an in 2015.{{Rp|page=89}} 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, Mao Zedong Thought, and the party's revolutionary tradition.{{Rp|page=89}}

File:1964-12 1964年 延安.jpg

Yan'an is located in northern Shaanxi on the Loess Plateau, with a latitude spanning from 35°21′ to 37°31′ N, and a longitude spanning from 107°41′ to 110°31′ E.{{Cite web|date=2016-07-15|title=|script-title=zh:延安市概况地图|trans-title=Yan'an Overview|url=http://www.xzqh.org/html/show/sn/20381.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813173550/http://xzqh.org/html/show/sn/20381.html|archive-date=2020-08-13|access-date=2021-05-14|publisher=XZQH.org|language=zh}} The city is bordered by Yulin to the north, Xianyang, Tongchuan, and Weinan in the Guanzhong region to the south, Linfen and Lüliang of Shanxi to the east across the Yellow River, and Qingyang of Gansu to the west across the Ziwu Ridge ({{Lang-zh|c=子午岭}}). The city's elevation is hilly, and is higher in the northwest, and lower in the southeast, ranging from {{convert|388|to|1809|m|ft}} above sea level in elevation. The average elevation of Yan'an is approximately {{convert|1000|m|-1|abbr=on}}, and Yan'an's urban core has an elevation of about {{convert|960|m|ft}} 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.

Yan'an City is located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River and belongs to the hilly and ravine area of the Loess Plateau. The terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast, with an average altitude of about 1,200 meters.

{{Cite web |title=延安概况 |url=http://dfz.shaanxi.gov.cn/sqzlk/sxnj_16138/sxnjwz/yas_16203/yanj/yanj2016/201703/t20170328_901843.html |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=dfz.shaanxi.gov.cn}} Yan'an has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dwa) that borders on a steppe climate (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 {{convert|-5.5|°C|1}} in January to {{convert|23.1|°C|1}} in July, and the annual mean is {{convert|9.90|°C|1}}. The area receives {{convert|511|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of precipitation, 47% of which falls in July and August. Yan'an averages around 300 days of sunshine per year.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Yan'an, elevation {{convert|959|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1971–2000)

|Jan high C = 2.3

|Feb high C = 7.3

|Mar high C = 13.3

|Apr high C = 21.1

|May high C = 25.8

|Jun high C = 29.7

|Jul high C = 30.5

|Aug high C = 28.4

|Sep high C = 23.7

|Oct high C = 18.1

|Nov high C = 11.1

|Dec high C = 4.3

|Jan mean C = -4.9

|Feb mean C = -0.2

|Mar mean C = 5.8

|Apr mean C = 13.1

|May mean C = 18.2

|Jun mean C = 22.3

|Jul mean C = 24.0

|Aug mean C = 22.2

|Sep mean C = 17.0

|Oct mean C = 10.5

|Nov mean C = 3.4

|Dec mean C = -2.9

|Jan low C = -10.3

|Feb low C = -5.8

|Mar low C = -0.1

|Apr low C = 6.3

|May low C = 11.3

|Jun low C = 15.7

|Jul low C = 18.8

|Aug low C = 17.5

|Sep low C = 12.3

|Oct low C = 5.2

|Nov low C = -1.8

|Dec low C = -7.8

|Jan record high C = 16.6 |Jan record low C = -21.4

|Feb record high C = 23.8 |Feb record low C = -19.8

|Mar record high C = 27.6 |Mar record low C = -15.4

|Apr record high C = 34.4 |Apr record low C = -6.3

|May record high C = 36.5 |May record low C = -0.1

|Jun record high C = 37.5 |Jun record low C = 5.5

|Jul record high C = 38.3 |Jul record low C = 10.1

|Aug record high C = 36.9 |Aug record low C = 8.7

|Sep record high C = 37.5 |Sep record low C = 0.6

|Oct record high C = 29.7 |Oct record low C = -8.1

|Nov record high C = 25.5 |Nov record low C = -17.0

|Dec record high C = 18.0 |Dec record low C = -23.0

|year high C = |year low C =

|year high F = |year low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 3.2

|Feb precipitation mm = 5.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 14.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 25.6

|May precipitation mm = 41.0

|Jun precipitation mm = 64.1

|Jul precipitation mm = 100.6

|Aug precipitation mm = 110.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 69.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 38.4

|Nov precipitation mm = 14.7

|Dec precipitation mm = 2.4

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 2.4

|Feb precipitation days = 3.0

|Mar precipitation days = 4.6

|Apr precipitation days = 5.9

|May precipitation days = 7.8

|Jun precipitation days = 9.0

|Jul precipitation days = 12.0

|Aug precipitation days = 11.1

|Sep precipitation days = 9.8

|Oct precipitation days = 8.1

|Nov precipitation days = 3.9

|Dec precipitation days = 2.0

|year precipitation days =

|Jan humidity = 54

|Feb humidity = 51

|Mar humidity = 49

|Apr humidity = 44

|May humidity = 49

|Jun humidity = 56

|Jul humidity = 67

|Aug humidity = 72

|Sep humidity = 72

|Oct humidity = 68

|Nov humidity = 60

|Dec humidity = 54

|Jan sun = 196.5

|Feb sun = 188.2

|Mar sun = 218.8

|Apr sun = 242.5

|May sun = 262.6

|Jun sun = 251.6

|Jul sun = 231.0

|Aug sun = 213.7

|Sep sun = 176.0

|Oct sun = 190.8

|Nov sun = 191.3

|Dec sun = 192.3

|year sun =

| Jan percentsun = 63

| Feb percentsun = 61

| Mar percentsun = 59

| Apr percentsun = 61

| May percentsun = 60

| Jun percentsun = 57

| Jul percentsun = 52

| Aug percentsun = 52

| Sep percentsun = 48

| Oct percentsun = 55

| Nov percentsun = 63

| Dec percentsun = 64

| year percentsun =

|Jan snow days = 4.3

|Feb snow days = 4.0

|Mar snow days = 2.9

|Apr snow days = 0.5

|May snow days = 0

|Jun snow days = 0

|Jul snow days = 0

|Aug snow days = 0

|Sep snow days = 0

|Oct snow days = 0.3

|Nov snow days = 2.4

|Dec snow days = 3.6

|year snow days =

|source 1 = China Meteorological Administration{{cite web |url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans |access-date=24 September 2023}}

{{cite web|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-hans | access-date =24 September 2023 |title=Experience Template }}

|source 2 = Weather China{{cite web|script-title=zh:延安城市介绍以及气候背景分析|url=http://www.weather.com.cn/cityintro/101170401.shtml? |website=Weather China|publisher=中国气象局公共气象服务中心|access-date=July 27, 2015|language=zh}}

}}

As of 2019, Yan'an has approximately 2,255,700 permanent residents, a slight decrease from the 2,259,400 recorded in 2018.{{Rp||page=4–5}} As of 2019, there are 2,336,587 people with a Yan'an hukou registration.{{Rp||page=4–7}} This discrepancy reflects China's system of 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 districts (Baota and Ansai) as of 2019.{{Rp||page=4–6}}

In 2019, Yan'an recorded a birth rate of 9.80‰ (per thousand), and a death rate of 5.97‰, giving the city a rate of natural increase of 3.83‰.{{Rp||page=4–5}} This is a slight decrease from 2018, when the rate of natural increase was 4.30‰.{{Rp||page=4–5}}

In 2019, urban households earned an average disposable income of 34,888 RMB, an 8.3% increase from the previous year.{{Rp||page=10–2}} Rural households earned a lower average of 11,876 RMB, reflecting a 10.1% increase from the previous year.{{Rp||page=10–2}}

File:延安新区的建筑.jpg]]

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 RMB, more than ten times its GDP in 2000, which stood at just 13.063 billion RMB.{{Rp||page=3–12}} 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.{{Rp||page=3–13}} The GDP per capita of Yan'an totals 73,703 RMB as of 2019,{{Rp||page=3–12}} a 6.9% increase from the previous year.{{Rp||page=3–13}} Of Yan'an's county-level divisions, Baota District recorded the largest GDP in 2019, totaling 36.391 billion RMB.{{Rp||page=3–15}} Baota District is followed by Luochuan County and Huangling County, which recorded economic outputs totaling 24.387 billion and 18.593 billion RMB, respectively.{{Rp||page=3–15}}

Yan'an is largely reliant on its secondary sector, which comprises the majority of its GDP as of 2019.{{Rp||page=3–12}}

File:宝塔 延河 2.jpg in Baota District]]

As of 2019, the city's output in the fields of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing totals 26.107 billion RMB.{{Rp||page=12–4}} 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.{{Rp||page=12–4}}

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.{{Rp||page=12-11}} Sizable tracts of land in Yan'an are also used to grow vegetables and soybeans.{{Rp||page=12–4}} Yan'an has the second largest cotton production out of all the prefecture-level cities in Shaanxi, behind just Weinan.{{Rp||page=12–13}} The city also grows a large amount of rapeseeds,{{Rp||page=12–13}} peanuts,{{Rp||page=12–13}} apples,{{Rp||page=12–18}} jujubes,{{Rp||page=12–18}} and apricots.{{Rp||page=12–18}} Yan'an is also the second largest honey producer in Shaanxi, behind Hanzhong.{{Rp||page=12–24}}

As of 2019, the city's industrial output is worth 96.510 billion RMB,{{Rp||page=3–12}} a 6.4% increase from the previous year at constant prices.{{Rp||page=3–13}} In 2018, the petroleum industry alone accounted for 54.419 billion RMB of output.{{Cite web|title=|script-title=zh:延安市2018年国民经济和社会发展统计公报|trans-title=Yan'an 2018 Economic and Social Development Annual Report|url=https://www.cnstats.org/tjgb/201904/yasyas-2018-fkg.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815022658/https://www.cnstats.org/tjgb/201904/yasyas-2018-fkg.html|archive-date=2020-08-15|access-date=2021-05-14|website=www.cnstats.org|language=zh}} In addition to oil and natural gas, major industries in the city include coal mining, power generation, and cigarette production.

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 Yanchang Petroleum, and the remaining 6,726,600 tons were extracted as part of CNPC's 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.{{Cite web|title=Changqing Oil & Gas Province|url=https://www.cnpc.com.cn/en/operatediol/201405/ef43c204435d4db3bcd7852514f79269.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128021957/http://www.cnpc.com.cn/en/operatediol/201405/ef43c204435d4db3bcd7852514f79269.shtml|archive-date=2021-01-28|access-date=2021-05-14|website=cnpc.com.cn|publisher=China National Petroleum Corporation}}

The total retail sales of consumer goods in Yan'an totaled 41.113 billion RMB in 2019.{{Rp||page=16-5}} The majority of these retail sales took place in Baota District, which recorded 24.000 billion RMB of sales that year.{{Rp||page=16-5}}

The Erdao Street Night Market ({{Lang-zh|c=二道街夜市|p=Èrdào Jiē Yèshì}}) is a street market in Baota District which features many of the hallmarks of Shaanbei culture, including local cuisine, décor, and folk music.

The immersive song and dance drama "Thirteen Years in Yan'an" in Jin Yan'an Scenic Area. It is based on the street scenes of old Yan'an in the 1930s. It selects representative figures and deeds at that time, tells red stories through technological innovation, and reproduces the turbulent years of Yan'an for thirteen years.{{Cite web |title=延安特色旅游吸引海外"Z世代"_文化产业导刊 |url=https://whcydk.com/m/view.php?aid=6255 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=whcydk.com}}

File:宝塔 延安革命纪念馆 07.jpg

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 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.{{Cite book |last=Hou |first=Xiaojia |title=China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment |publisher=Leiden University Press |year=2024 |isbn=9789087284411 |editor-last=Fang |editor-first=Qiang |chapter=China's Shift to Personalistic Rule: Xi Jinping's Centralization of Political Power |editor-last2=Li |editor-first2=Xiaobing}}{{Rp|page=89}}

In 2021, the development project Golden Yan'an opened as part of the Holy Land Valley Cultural Tourism Industrial Park.{{Cite book |last=Lin |first=Chunfeng |title=Red Tourism in China: Commodification of Propaganda |publisher=Routledge |year=2023 |isbn=9781032139609}}{{Rp|page=1}} 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.{{Rp|page=1–2}} The major attraction of Golden Yan'an is "The Ode of Yan'an" nightlight show.{{Rp|page=2}} The free show depicts a series of historical moments from the Communist Party's Yan'an period presented with a light show on the mountains and an audio-visual projection on Baota Mountain.{{Rp|page=2}}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.{{Cite web |title=延安红街是红色旅游的增量创新-新华网 |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/travel/20210716/73837dfaf6864022a69da009bfe4726b/c.html |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.xinhuanet.com}}

Shortly before the 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.{{Rp|page=1}}

Yan’an, a prefecture‐level city in northern Shaanxi Province on the Loess Plateau, 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 for industry and residential heating, growing vehicle use, and seasonal dust storms from surrounding arid regions together maintain high concentrations of particulate matter (PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀) and gaseous contaminants such as SO₂ and NOₓ.{{Cite journal |last1=Ma |first1=Shuai |last2=He |first2=Jinrong |last3=He |first3=Jinwei |last4=Feng |first4=Qiang |last5=Bi |first5=Yingzhou |date=2024-12-01 |title=Forecasting air quality Index in yan'an using temporal encoded Informer |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0957417424017354 |journal=Expert Systems with Applications |volume=255 |pages=124868 |doi=10.1016/j.eswa.2024.124868 |issn=0957-4174}}

Yan’an sits atop the highly erodible Loess Plateau, where thick wind‐deposited silt forms uneven terrain that impedes horizontal dispersion of air pollutants.{{Cite journal |last1=Xiao |first1=Yi |last2=Wang |first2=Rui |last3=Wang |first3=Fan |last4=Huang |first4=Huan |last5=Wang |first5=Jue |date=2022-03-01 |title=Investigation on spatial and temporal variation of coupling coordination between socioeconomic and ecological environment: A case study of the Loess Plateau, China |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1470160X22001388 |journal=Ecological Indicators |volume=136 |pages=108667 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolind.2022.108667 |bibcode=2022EcInd.13608667X |issn=1470-160X|doi-access=free }} 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.{{Cite journal |last1=Meng |first1=Kai |last2=Xu |first2=Xiangde |last3=Xu |first3=Xiaobin |last4=Wang |first4=Haoliang |last5=Liu |first5=Xiaohui |last6=Jiao |first6=Yayin |date=2019-11-16 |title=The Causes of "Vulnerable Regions" to Air Pollution in Winter in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region: A Topographic–Meteorological Impact Model Based on Adaptive Emission Constraint Technique |journal=Atmosphere |language=en |volume=10 |issue=11 |pages=719 |doi=10.3390/atmos10110719 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2019Atmos..10..719M |issn=2073-4433}}

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 PM₂.₅ concentrations and prolonged haze events.

Coal mining, coal‐fired power generation and cement production dominate Yan’an’s industrial sector, collectively releasing large volumes of sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and coarse (PM₁₀) and fine (PM₂.₅) 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—including Yan’an—rely on coal combustion for space heating. Traditional stoves and boilers emit high levels of black carbon and PM₂.₅, driving sharp increases in airborne particulates during colder months.

On‐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 NOₓ and PM transport within the Fen‐Wei River Valley, indicating that urban traffic emissions exacerbate local air quality problems.{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Qiangjun |last2=Liang |first2=Suping |last3=Xu |first3=Junlin |date=2022-10-19 |title=Characteristics and Sources of Air Pollution in Southern Shanxi Province |journal=Sustainability |language=en |volume=14 |issue=20 |pages=13511 |doi=10.3390/su142013511 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2022Sust...1413511L |issn=2071-1050}}

Seasonal dust storms originating in the Mu Us Desert and adjacent arid zones inject pulses of coarse particles (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.{{Cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Bowen |last2=Ma |first2=Yuxia |last3=Qin |first3=Pengpeng |last4=Wang |first4=Wanci |last5=Zhao |first5=Yuhan |last6=Liu |first6=Zongrui |last7=Zhang |first7=Yifan |last8=Wei |first8=Linbo |date=2024-06-26 |title=Characterization of air pollution and associated health risks in Gansu Province, China from 2015 to 2022 |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=14751 |doi=10.1038/s41598-024-65584-2 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=11208435 |pmid=38926518|bibcode=2024NatSR..1414751C }}

The combination of trapped industrial and domestic emissions with dust influx has serious implications for public health and the surrounding ecosystem. Elevated PM₂.₅ levels are linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, while acid deposition from SO₂ and NOₓ damages soils and vegetation across the fragile loess landscape.{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Di |last2=Zhu |first2=Shilei |last3=Wang |first3=Lijing |last4=Zhen |first4=Qing |last5=Han |first5=Fengpeng |last6=Zhang |first6=Xingchang |date=2020-02-21 |title=Distribution, Origins and Hazardous Effects of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Topsoil Surrounding Oil Fields: A Case Study on the Loess Plateau, China |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |language=en |volume=17 |issue=4 |pages=1390 |doi=10.3390/ijerph17041390 |doi-access=free |pmid=32098176 |issn=1660-4601|pmc=7068613 }}

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

Yan'an is home to 251 standard primary schools and 112 standard secondary schools, enrolling 218,100 and 129,900 students, respectively.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnstats.org/tjgb/201904/yasyas-2018-fkg_3.html |script-title=zh:延安市2018年国民经济和社会发展统计公报_中国统计信息网|website=www.cnstats.org|access-date=2020-04-19}} 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.{{Rp||page=18–19}}

• {{Interlanguage link|Yan'an University|lt=|zh|延安大学|WD=}}
• China Yan'an Executive Leadership Academy
• Yan'an Middle School{{Cite web |title=延安中学 - 陕西教育信息网 |url=http://www.snedunews.cn/school/110.html |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=www.snedunews.cn}}

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.{{Rp||page=19-7}}

• Yan'an Rectification Movement
• Yan'an Talks on Literature and Art
• 2693 Yan'an

{{Notelist}}

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{{Commons}}

{{Wiktionary|Yan'an|Yanan|Yenan|Yen-an}}

{{Wikivoyage|Yan'an}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20000819135240/http://yanan.gov.cn/ Official website of Yan'an Government]
• [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/652905/Yanan Yan'an (China) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia]

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