Cave dwelling in northern shaanxi of China is a typical ecological building in five thousand years of Chinese civilization. It is the main residential form on the special topography of the loess plateau and the main feature of architectural aesthetics in northern shaanxi. From the perspective of ecology, caves have inherent advantages, and the ecological concept and ecological technology has been adhered to for a long time. In recent years, the human society is facing serious ecological problems. At the same time, the understanding of ecological aesthetics mainly focuses on functionality and materialization. The lack of spiritual level is also an unavoidable problem nowadays. The ecological aesthetic significance of cave dwellings in northern shaanxi has been favored by experts and scholars at home and abroad. It provides a good reference case for the problems faced by human society and points out a new direction for modern design.