Yan'an is a historic and cultural city with a long history. It is not only one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation, but also a holy land of the Chinese revolution. As early as 5000 years ago, the founder of human civilization, Xuanyuan Huangdi, emerged on the banks of the Jushui River in Yan'an, creating a brilliant and glorious civilization history for the Chinese nation. For over 1300 years from the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, Yan'an served as the administrative center for counties, states, roads, and prefectures, and was the political, military, economic, and cultural center of northern Shaanxi at that time. Yan'an is also a holy land of modern Chinese revolution. The older generation of revolutionaries such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, and Zhu De lived and fought here for 13 years, leading the national resistance against Japan and the liberation war, which led the Chinese revolution from here to national victory. Yan'an is therefore known as the lighthouse of the Chinese revolution, the cradle of the People's Republic of China, and listed as one of the "three major" educational bases in the country.
During the Shang Dynasty, Yan'an was under the jurisdiction of the Guifang Kingdom. During the Qin and Han dynasties, Yan'an was under the jurisdiction of Shangjun, with its capital in Fushi. In the first year of Tang Wude (618 AD), Yan'an Commandery was renamed as the General Administration of Yanzhou, with jurisdiction over Fushi, Fenglin, and Yanchuan counties, as well as Nanping, Beiwu, and Dongxia prefectures. In the fourth year of Song Yuanyou (1089), Yanzhou was promoted to Yan'an Prefecture. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, Yan'an Prefecture was established. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), Yan'an area belonged to Yulin Road. In September 1937, the CPC established the Shaanxi Gansu Ningxia Border Region, and in October, the Yan'an Municipal Government was established. In May 1949, the Shaanbei Administrative Region was established. In May 1950, the Administrative Supervision Commissioner's Office of Yan'an District in Shaanxi Province was established, and in October of the same year, it was renamed as the Yan'an Commissioner's Office of the Shaanxi Provincial People's Government. In 1972, the urban area of Yan'an was renamed Yan'an City. In November 1996, the State Council approved the revocation of Yan'an area and the establishment of Yan'an City. The original Yan'an City (county-level) was renamed Baota District, and Yan'an City governed 1 district and 12 counties. Yan'an City is a national level cultural and ecological protection zone in northern Shanxi.