Liu Zhidan, also known as Liu Chih-tan, was a Chinese military commander and Communist leader, who founded the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Base Area in north-west China, which became the Yan'an Soviet.

Northern Shaanxi or Shaanbei is the northern portion of China's Shaanxi province. More specifically, it refers to the region north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge within the province.