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Historic city · Industrial centre · Jiangsu

Xuzhou

徐州 (Xúzhōu)

Homeland of the Han emperors at the crossroads of the north China plain

Xuzhou is a prefecture-level city in the far north of Jiangsu, bordering Shandong, Henan and Anhui. As ancient Pengcheng it was the capital of Xiang Yu's Western Chu, and the founder of the Han dynasty came from its county of Pei; its Han tombs, jade suits and terracotta army make it one of the principal Han-dynasty sites in China. It is also a major railway junction and industrial city.

ProvinceJiangsu

Key facts

Province
Jiangsu
Administrative level
Prefecture-level city
Area
about 11,765 km²[1]
Resident population
9.08 million(as of 2020 census)[2]
Ancient name
Pengcheng

Overview

Xuzhou lies on the old course of the Yellow River where the plains of Shandong, Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu meet. That position made it a strategic prize — more than two hundred battles are recorded around it — and later the junction of the Beijing–Shanghai and Lianyungang–Lanzhou railways.

The city is best known for its Han heritage: the tombs of the kings of Chu cut deep into its hills, jade burial suits and a small terracotta army. Coal mining and heavy engineering made it an industrial centre, and former subsidence areas have been turned into lakes and parks.

Names and nicknames

  • 彭城 (Péngchéng)

    The ancient name, linked by legend to Peng Zu, the long-lived founder of the state of Dapeng.

  • 两汉文化发源地 (Liǎng Hàn wénhuà fāyuándì)

    “birthplace of Han culture”

    Because Liu Bang and many of his followers came from the region.

History

After the fall of Qin, Xiang Yu made Pengcheng the capital of his Western Chu (206–202 BCE), while his rival Liu Bang, from Pei, founded the Han. Under the Western Han, Pengcheng was the seat of the kingdom of Chu, whose kings were buried in rock-cut tombs around the city. Su Shi served as prefect in 1077–1079 and led the defence against a Yellow River flood. In 1948–1949 the decisive Huaihai Campaign of the civil war was fought around Xuzhou.

  1. 206 BCE

    Capital of Western Chu

    Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, ruled from Pengcheng; the Xiqutai terrace is associated with him.

  2. 201 BCE onwards

    Kingdom of Chu under the Han

    The Han kings of Chu were buried in rock-cut tombs such as Shizishan and Guishan.

  3. 1077–1079

    Su Shi prefect of Xuzhou

    Su Shi led the city's defence against the Yellow River flood of 1077 and built the Yellow Tower to commemorate it.

  4. 1128–1855

    Yellow River flows past Xuzhou

    The river's southern course buried older layers of the city under silt; the old channel still crosses the centre.

  5. 1948–1949

    Huaihai Campaign

    One of the three decisive campaigns of the civil war; a memorial tower stands on Fenghuang Hill.

Landmarks

  1. Museum

    Han Terracotta Warriors Museum

    汉兵马俑博物馆 (Hàn Bīngmǎyǒng Bówùguǎn)

    Several thousand small painted terracotta figures from pits near the Shizishan Han tomb.

  2. Historic site

    Guishan Han Tombs

    龟山汉墓 (Guīshān Hànmù)

    Rock-cut tomb of a Han king of Chu and his queen, with long, precisely aligned tunnels.

  3. Museum

    Xuzhou Museum

    徐州博物馆 (Xúzhōu Bówùguǎn)

    Displays the jade suit sewn with gold thread from the Shizishan tomb and other Han jades.

  4. Nature

    Yunlong Lake

    云龙湖 (Yúnlóng Hú)

    Lake and hills south-west of the centre, with Su Shi's embankment and the Yunlong Hill temples.

Neighbourhoods

  • Hubushan

    户部山 (Hùbù Shān)

    Hill in the old centre with Ming and Qing courtyard houses and Xiang Yu's Xiqutai.

Food

  • Diguo chicken

    地锅鸡 (dìguō jī)

    Chicken stewed in an iron pot with flatbreads stuck to the rim.

  • Fish hidden in lamb

    羊方藏鱼 (yáng fāng cáng yú)

    A block of lamb stuffed with fish and braised, attributed by legend to Peng Zu and told as the origin of the character 鲜 (“fresh, savoury”).

  • Laomo flatbread

    烙馍 (làomó)

    Paper-thin griddle bread rolled around fillings.

Culture

Xuzhou's speech, food and temperament are northern — closer to Shandong and Henan than to the Jiangnan south of the province. The city cultivates its Han heritage in museums and festivals, and Pei and Feng counties maintain the memory of Liu Bang and his return home.

大风起兮云飞扬，威加海内兮归故乡。

Dà fēng qǐ xī yún fēiyáng, wēi jiā hǎinèi xī guī gùxiāng.

“A great wind rises, the clouds fly high; my might spread over all within the seas, I return to my home.”

— Liu Bang, “Song of the Great Wind” (大风歌), 195 BCE

Getting around

  • Xuzhou East is a junction of the Beijing–Shanghai and Xuzhou–Lanzhou high-speed railways; the metro links it with the centre.
  • Xuzhou Guanyin International Airport lies south-east of the city.

Day trips

  • Pei county

    沛县 (Pèi Xiàn)

    Liu Bang's home county, with the Song of the Great Wind stele and a Han-themed memorial.

  • Yaowan

    窑湾古镇 (Yáowān Gǔzhèn)

    Old Grand Canal town in Xinyi at the confluence of the canal and the Yi River.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

  1. Xuzhou Municipal People's Government — Xuzhou Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  2. Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  3. Xuzhou — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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