Wender·Vista
Yan'an
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePeople's Republic of China
on the Loess Plateau of northern Shaanxi

Yan'an

— — the town the Long March ended in.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Yan'an sits in a fold of the yellow-earth plateau, where the Yan River runs through a town of cave houses cut straight into the hillsides. From 1936 to 1948 it was the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party. The pagoda on Treasure Pagoda Hill, built in the Tang dynasty, watches over a place still shaped by what arrived here in 1935.

from the studio
Yan'an
— bring it home

Yan'an, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Yan'an

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Yan'an is a prefecture-level city in northern Shaanxi province, set on the Loess Plateau where the Yan River meets the Yellow River basin. The wider prefecture covers roughly 37,000 square kilometres and holds a population near two million; the urban centre itself is much smaller. The landscape is the yellow loess, fine wind-blown silt that erodes into terraced ridges and steep gullies. Generations of residents have dug yaodong, cave dwellings, into the soft cliffs. The Tang-dynasty Treasure Pagoda, on the hill above the river, is the city's defining silhouette.

— informed by Wikipedia · Yan'an
— the year

Yan'an's name in modern Chinese history is bound to the Long March. In October 1935, after a year of retreat across roughly 9,000 kilometres, the surviving forces of the Chinese Communist Party reached northern Shaanxi. From 1936 until March 1948, Yan'an was the party's base. Mao Zedong lived in yaodong cave houses at Yangjialing, Zaoyuan, and Wangjiaping, all preserved today as the Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial sites. The period shaped the political vocabulary of the People's Republic, and the city remains a centre of red tourism for visitors from across China.

— informed by Wikipedia · Long March
— the visit

The main sites cluster on the edges of town: Yangjialing, Zaoyuan, and Wangjiaping for the cave-dwelling complexes, and Treasure Pagoda Hill for the Tang pagoda and a long view across the river. The Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall on Wanghuaping holds the period collection. Travellers usually reach the city by high-speed rail from Xi'an, about two and a half hours south, or by air through Yan'an Nanniwan Airport. Late spring and autumn are the easier seasons; winters on the plateau are dry and cold.

— informed by Wikipedia · Yan'an
— where
People's Republic of China · Yan'an, Shaanxi
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
300 km S
Xi'an
provincial capital
80 km E
Yellow River
river
140 km E
Hukou Waterfall
waterfall
N
Yan'an
Xi'an
Yellow River
Hukou Waterfall
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Yan'an — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Yan'an is a city in northern Shaanxi province, on the Loess Plateau where the Yan River meets the Yellow River basin. It lies about 300 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Xi'an.

It was the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party from 1936 to 1948, the end point of the Long March, and the base from which Mao Zedong led the party through the Second Sino-Japanese War and the civil war.

They are yaodong, traditional homes cut into the soft loess cliffs of northern Shaanxi. The dwellings stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Mao's yaodong at Yangjialing and Zaoyuan are preserved as memorial sites.

A Tang-dynasty brick pagoda on the hill above the Yan River, rebuilt and repaired across centuries. It is the architectural symbol of the city and appears on much of Yan'an's official imagery.

By high-speed rail from Xi'an, roughly two and a half hours south, or by air through Yan'an Nanniwan Airport. Long-distance buses also connect the city to other Shaanxi towns.

A category of domestic Chinese travel to sites significant to the history of the Communist Party. Yan'an, along with Jinggangshan and Shaoshan, is one of the most-visited red-tourism destinations.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. The yellow loess, the cave houses, and the pagoda are immediately recognisable to anyone from the province. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio reads warmly.

The ochres, deep reds, and pagoda silhouette sit well in Chinese-traditional rooms, Earth-tone Minimalist interiors, and warm Mid-century palettes with walnut and brass.

It reads in that direction. The piece carries weight without busyness, so it can anchor a quiet wall in a room built around oak, linen, and ceramic.

Above a standard sofa, the single Large reads correctly from across the room. Above a console or sideboard, a 4-tile Mural fills the wall. For a stair wall or great-room, the 9-tile Mural.

Yes, with the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and stand up to splashes. The Glossy finish is for dry walls in living rooms and entries.

Microfibre cloth and water. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface beneath a thin protective finish, so it will not lift or fade with normal cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is from a single family studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. No licensing, no resold imagery. The Yan'an tile exists nowhere else.

— if this one stayed with you

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