Pagoda Mountain (Baota Shan), southeast of the city centre where the Yan and Nanhe rivers meet, is the visual emblem of Yan'an. The Yan'an Pagoda — a nine-storey octagonal brick structure built during the Song Dynasty and standing 44 metres tall — sits on its summit and became the visual symbol of the Communist revolutionary base in this city, reproduced endlessly during the Maoist era. The climb to the summit is the simplest way to understand the city's landscape: the characteristic Loess Plateau terrain of deep ravines cut into yellow earth, with the dark squares of cave-dwelling mouths in the cliff faces and the city spreading along the narrow valley floors.
The mountain also contains a Ming-era bell — cast in 1599 and still hung in its original tower — and a Tang Dynasty stone inscription. The surrounding park is pleasant and fills with elderly residents doing morning exercises and couples visiting in the evening when the pagoda and city are lit up.
The hilltop is reached by a combination of paths and staircases from the south gate of the park. The walk takes around twenty minutes from the base, and the views are best in the late afternoon when the light is warm across the loess hills.