What Interesting Places Are There Around Yan’an?

Yan’an is around 300 kilometers away from Xi’an, and the bullet train takes only two and a half hours.

As the capital city of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an was formerly known as Chang’an and Jingzhao in ancient times. It ranks among the world’s four great ancient capitals and tops China’s four major ancient capitals. It is the capital city with the longest history of imperial rule, the most successive dynasties and the greatest influence in Chinese history, as well as a world-famous ancient capital tourist destination. It serves as the cradle of the Chinese nation, the birthplace of Chinese civilization and a core representative region of Chinese culture. More than 120 imperial mausoleums scatter around Xi’an. The Terracotta Army Pits are hailed as the "Eighth Wonder of the World". The Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang is China’s first cultural site inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Xi’an City Wall remains the best-preserved and largest ancient city wall relic on earth to this day.

Yulin is a city under the jurisdiction of Shaanxi Province, located northeast of Yan’an, about 270 kilometers away. Boasting a long history, Yulin has long been known as an important frontier garrison among the Nine Border Towns of the Ming Dynasty. Its well-known scenic spots include Red Stone Gorge, the Mu Us Desert, Jiang Family Manor, Baiyun Mountain, Incense Burner Temple, the Ming Great Wall, Yulin Hanging Temple Grottoes and the Ancient City of Yulin. The ancient city of Yulin has a history of over 2,000 years.

Every September, Hengshan District of Yulin holds the Boluo Ancient Castle Cultural Tourism Festival featuring a rich array of activities: Northern Shaanxi folk song contests, Northern Shaanxi storytelling competitions, Boluo Ancient Castle photography festivals, desert cross-country automobile races around the ancient castle, hot air balloon rides and paragliding.

Yuncheng in Shanxi Province lies southeast of Yan’an, roughly 400 kilometers away. Visitors can take a train from Yan’an to Xi’an and then transfer to Yuncheng.

Yuncheng preserves more than 200 ancient historical sites and over 1,600 cultural relic attractions, including 22 Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level, 65 at the provincial level, 1 national scenic area and 2 national forest parks. Key cultural relics and historic sites include Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, distinguished by unique architectural layout and magnificent large-scale murals dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, as well as Guan Yu Temple in Xiezhou. Other highlights are the Yingying Pagoda at Pujiu Temple and Wangu Temple in Yongji; the Flying Cloud Tower and Autumn Wind Tower in Wanrong; Qinglong Temple in Jishan; and Jiyi Temple in Xinjiang. Yuncheng is the cradle of ancient Chinese culture, with splendid and time-honored arts and culture. Tourists can feast their eyes on a great variety of folk performances and handicrafts: Jiangzhou drum music, folk flower drum dances, Jiangcheng flying dragon dances, civilian and military lion dances, stilt walking, pavilion carrying shows, back pavilion shows, Hejin rotating lanterns, Hedong decorative steamed buns, folk paper-cutting, embroidery, and the unique "Ice Carrying" folk custom of Changwang Village in Yongji.

In Wenxi County of Yuncheng sits the world-famous "Village of Chinese Prime Ministers". Located in Liyuan Town, 25 kilometers from the county seat, the village features profound cultural and historical heritage of the renowned Pei clan throughout history, alongside a series of newly built landscapes