Xuzhou, formerly known as Pengcheng, is the fourth largest prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province. It is famous for its position as a transportation hub in Northwest Jiangsu, because it has expressways and railways directly connecting Henan Province and Shandong Province, adjacent to the port city of Lianyungang, and the economic hub of Shanghai.

         Xuzhou is a city of science and education talents. It has 31 independent scientific research institutes, 335 research institutes and 14 institutions of higher learning, such as China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou Medical College, Jiangsu Normal University and Xuzhou Institute of Technology, which together provide strong intellectual support for the economic development of Xuzhou.

Location

         Xuzhou, located in the northwest of Jiangsu Province, is the common border of Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces. It is about 300 kilometers away from Nanjing, Jinan, Zhengzhou and Hefei. Xuzhou covers an area of 1,125 square kilometers and has a population of 8.63 million. The prefecture-level city of Xuzhou administers 10 county-level divisions, including five districts, two county-level cities and three counties.

Climate

        Affected by the semi-humid monsoon climate in the warm temperate zone, Xuzhou has four distinct seasons. The annual average temperature is 14 ℃, the annual average rainfall is 866 mm/year, and the frost-free period of Xuzhou is 200-220 days. The average annual sunshine time is 2100 hours to 2400 hours. The best season to visit Xuzhou is autumn.

Economy

        Xuzhou has abundant agricultural and sideline products and other resources. With a large number of high-quality mineral resources, such as coal, iron, limestone, marble and so on, agricultural industrialization has made great progress. The guiding role of industrial economy is increasing. Coal, electronics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, building materials and other industries have reached a certain range and level. Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (Xugong), Weiwei Group and Datun Coal and Electricity Company are listed as the top 520 enterprises in China. With the vigorous development of the tertiary industry, the role of regional logistics centers and tourism centers has been further strengthened. The export-oriented economy has made considerable progress. Caterpillar, Rockwell, Haier and other world-renowned enterprises have settled down one after another. Xugong, a famous construction machinery manufacturer, is located in Xuzhou. In terms of revenue in 2011, it is the world's tenth largest manufacturer of construction equipment, and the third largest manufacturer of construction equipment in China (after Sany and Lianhe).

History & Culture

         Xuzhou is one of the oldest cities in China, with a civilization history of more than 5000 years. More than 3,000 years ago, Xuzhou was one of the nine states in China.

         As a city with Han culture, Xuzhou was the home of Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (256-195 BC). The Han Dynasty was divided into two periods, the Eastern Han Dynasty and the Western Han Dynasty (206-189 A.D.), which lasted more than 400 years. During this period, the local kings of Xuzhou left a large number of historical heritages, including clay sculptures, reliefs and tombs of the Han Dynasty, known as the three wonders of the Han Dynasty. They are the representatives of Chinese Han culture.