Yan'an
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Yan'an (Template:Zh-cpw), is a city in Shaanxi province, China.
It was the destination of the Long March and the center of Chinese Communist revolution from 1935 to 1948. Chinese Communists celebrate Yan'an as the birthplace of the revolution. Yan'an is currently a Prefecture-level city administering includes several counties, including Zhidan, formerly Bao'an, which served as the Chinese Communist capital before the city of Yan'an proper took that role.
History
During the Second World War almost all buildings--except for a certain pagoda--were destroyed by Japanese bombing and most inhabitants took to living in caves, the traditional dwellings of Shaanxi. 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. Politically, Yan'an symbolizes for many a utopian period in modern China's history where Chinese communists sought to realize their idealized vision of life, culture, and social justice, and thus stands almost a former "golden age" when communist principles and ideals were actively pursued by many sincere, youthful supporters.
References
- Right in Her Soul: the Life of Anna Louise Strong. Strong, Tracy B. and Keyssar, Helene. 1983. Random House: New York. p. 216