Into Yan'an: Understanding the Red Street Culture and Experiencing the Arduous Journey

When Yan'an is mentioned, everyone knows this long-cherished old revolutionary base. This time I came to Yan'an and visited the newly opened Yan'an Red Street. With its gray roof tiles, sloping eaves, cave-dwelling facades, and yellow mud walls, stepping into Yan'an Red Street feels like returning to the ancient city of Yan'an.

This Yan'an Red Street has a red culture theme that forms the soul of the entire block. The 1.5-kilometer-long pedestrian street is lined with five squares and four sections in sequence. The northernmost square is named Joining Forces Square, followed by Border Region Square, Holy Land Square, and Kangda Square, and the southernmost is Victory Square. These symbolize the arduous journey of the Central Red Army, which, after arriving in northern Shaanxi via the Long March and joining forces with the northern Shaanxi Red Army, experienced 13 years of arduous struggle and ultimately achieved victory.

Yan'an Red Street offers not only an external experience but, more importantly, a spiritual baptism. Only by remembering the hardships can we cherish the present.

After being open for a while, Yan'an Red Street still attracts many visitors. The street offers various performances and local specialty snacks.

Tourists who come here will definitely buy tickets to watch the immersive performance 'Return to Yan'an.' From the perspective of the Red Army, it recreates the eventful years. In a simple yet powerful way, it strikes the heart of every audience member, moving them to tears and leaving an unforgettable impression.

There are also many memorial halls and museums that evoke memories of that magnificent history. The ones that interested me most were the Red Currency Collection Museum, the Red Great Production Museum, and the Archery Hero Hall.

The Red Currency Art Museum, in cooperation with the Red Finance Committee of the People's Bank of China headquarters, displays actual currencies printed and issued in various base areas before the founding of New China. It regularly conducts study courses on currency history and financial warfare.

The Red Great Production Museum, with nearly a thousand old artifacts, reproduces the history of the Great Production Campaign and its vigorous scenes. The collection mainly focuses on Yan'an's ancient farming civilization, showing how the Red Army, despite simple tools and extreme financial difficulties during the Yan'an Great Production period, dug cave dwellings for shelter, learned farming techniques, made production tools, reclaimed wasteland, and achieved self-sufficiency in grain and vegetables. Staff members explain the process of manual textile production and introduce weaving machines, agricultural tools, and other products.

Archery culture is an integral part of traditional Chinese culture with a long history. The ritual archery that arose in the ancient Central Plains embodies the cultural essence of combining civil and martial virtues, teaching through archery, and promoting harmony. At the Archery Hero Hall, visitors can experience the joy of archery.

Yan'an Red Street, with its diverse themed exhibition halls and rich cultural activities, fully embodies the Yan'an red spirit. To truly understand the history of the Yan'an red spirit, you need to spend a whole day wandering around here.