延安市

Why this place

Yan'an is where the Communist Party established its base after the Long March and stayed for thirteen years — the caves (yaodong) at Yangjialing and Zaoyuan were its headquarters, and the city is a place of national pilgrimage. It is also loess plateau country with cave dwellings built into the hillsides.

What to see

• The Yangjialing and Zaoyuan revolutionary sites, in the loess caves
• The Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall
• The pagoda on Baota Hill, the city's symbol
• The Yellow River's Hukou waterfall, three hours east — the largest on the river

What to eat

• Shaanxi and loess-plateau cooking: millet, buckwheat and lamb
• Yan'an is known for its 'yangyu' (potato) dishes and its 'mo' flatbreads

Best time

April–June and September–October