Yan'an is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan, which served as the headquarters of the Chinese Communists before the city of Yan'an proper took that role.

Northern Shaanxi, or Shaanbei (陕北), is the portion of China's Shaanxi north of the Huanglong Mountain and the Meridian Ridge, and is both a geographic as well as a cultural area. It makes up the southeastern portion of the Ordos Basin and forms the northern part of the Loess Plateau. The region includes two prefecture-level cities: Yulin, which is known for the Ming Great Wall traversing through its northern part; and Yan'an, which is known as the birthplace of the Chinese Communist Revolution.