Xuzhou, or known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province. It is known for its role as a transportation hub in northwestern Jiangsu, as it has expressways and railway links connecting directly to the provinces of Henan and Shandong, the neighboring port city of Lianyungang, as well as the economic hub Shanghai.

Xuzhou is a city of science and education with a galaxy of talents. There are altogether 31 independent scientific research institutes, 335 R&D institutions and 14 colleges and universities, including China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou Medical College, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou Institute of Technology, etc, which jointly provide Xuzhou with solid and strong intellectual support for its economic and social development.

Location

Xuzhou is located in the northwest of Jiangsu Province, the common boundary of Jiangsu Province, Shandong Province, Henan Province and Anhui Province. It is about 300 kilometers away from Nanjing, Jinan, Zhengzhou and Hefei. Covering a land of 1,125 square kilometers, Xuzhou 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

By the influence of warm temperature zone semi-moist monsoon climate, Xuzhou has apparently different four seasons with cool summer and warm winter. The yearly average temperature is 14℃ with the yearly average rainfall volume of 866mm and the frost free period in Xuzhou is between 200 and 220 days. The yearly average sunshine period is 2,100 hours to 2,400 hours. The best time for traveling in Xuzhou is in fall.

Economy

Xuzhou is rich in resources and diversified in agricultural and sideline produce. It has a huge reserve of high-quality mineral resources such as coal, iron, limestone, marble stone, etc.

The industrialization management of agriculture has achieved great progress. The guiding role of industrial economy has being continuously intensified. Coal, electronic, fabric, medicine and construction material industries have certain scope and level.

Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), Weiwei Group and Datun Coal and Electricity Corporation are listed the top 520 corporations in China. Tertiary industry has developed boomingly and the role of regional logistics center and tourism center has further intensified. Foreign-oriented economy has made great headway. Many world well-known companies such as Caterpillar, Rockwell and Haier Group settled here.

The construction machinery manufacturer XCMG is the largest company based in Xuzhou. It is the world's 10th largest construction equipment maker measured by 2011 revenues, and the third-largest based in China (after Sany and Zoomlion).

History & Culture

With a civilization of over 5,000 years, Xuzhou was built 2,600 years ago and is one of the most ancient cities in China. Xuzhou was one of the nine states of the country over 3,000 years ago.

As a city of Han Dynasty Culture, Xuzhou was the hometown of Liu Bang (256-195BC), the first emperor of Western Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty was divided into Eastern Han and Western Han periods (206BC-189AD) lasting for over 400 years. During which the local kings in Xuzhou left numerous historical heritages, including Han clay figurines, Han stone relief carvings and Han Tombs, which are called Three Wonders of the Han Dynasty. They are representatives of the Chinese Han culture.