wenge zhang - Yan'an

The image of Yan'an is one of the most potent symbols used on Maozhang, perhaps second only to Tiananmen. Yan'an was not just a place, a milestone and the wartime headquarters; it also represented an attitude of mind - the Yan'an spirit.

The stereotypical image of Yan'an was tripartite, with the Yan bridge in the foreground and Pagoda Hill and cave houses in the background. Sometimes the bridge was omitted, or the whole scene embellished with another referrent such as the red lantern from the opera of that name.