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Xuzhou (s=徐州), also known as Pengcheng (彭城), is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Jiangsu province, China. Located at the junction of four provinces—Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, and Anhui—it occupies a natural geographic gap between the Shandong Hills and the North China Plain. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of approximately 9.08 million.
Xuzhou is a designated important node city of Belt and Road Initiative, a provincial sub-center of Jiangsu, and the central city of the Huaihai Economic Zone. As a major national transport hub, it serves as the strategic intersection of the north–south Beijing–Shanghai axis and the east–west Land Bridge corridor.
The city is the ancestral home of the Han dynasty imperial family, and its history is defined by its rich Han archaeological heritage. Formerly a regional coal-mining base, Xuzhou has transitioned into a center for heavy machinery manufacturing and new energy industries, and was awarded the United Nations Habitat Scroll of Honour award for its ecological restoration of mining areas.
During the Shang dynasty, Dapeng ("Great Peng"), a polity associated with the Dongyi, was the regional heartland. Archaeological evidence from the Qiuwan (丘灣) and Gaohuangmiao (高皇廟) sites shows both Shang-style ritual remains and indigenous pottery, indicating cultural integration. The state was eventually subordinated following Wu Ding's military campaigns.
Following the decline of the Shang, the state of Xu (a Huaiyi chiefdom) became a regional polity controlling the routes between the Central Plains and the southeast. King Yan of Xu is traditionally recorded as moving north to the area after conflict with the Zhou dynasty.
Pengcheng, named after the Dapeng, first appears in records in 573 BCE as a Song fortified city at the confluence of the ancient Bian and Si River rivers. A strategic objective in the Chu–Jin rivalry, the city was briefly occupied by the official Yu Shi with Chu support before being recovered by a Jin-led coalition.
Around the 4th century BCE, Song had reportedly moved its capital to Pengcheng; however, the city's vulnerability was marked in 385 BCE when Duke Dao of Song was captured there by the State of Wei. Following Song's annexation by Qi in 286 BCE, Pengcheng served as a frontier stronghold until it fell to Chu and was eventually incorporated into the Qin Empire in 223 BCE.
In 202 BCE, it became the capital of the Chu Princedom under Liu Jiao. In 154 BCE, Prince Liu Wu joined the Rebellion of the Seven Princes. Despite his defeat and subsequent territorial reductions, his Shizishan (獅子山) tomb reveals a scale exceeding standard sumptuary limits, notably containing gold-threaded jade burial suits. (2026). 9781316636435, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781316636435
Following Prince Liu Yanshou's failed conspiracy in 69 BCE, the princedom was briefly abolished but restored in 51 BCE. During the Eastern Han, it alternated between a princedom and commandery under various princes, including Liu Ying and Liu Qing. During this period, Pengcheng emerged as the site of China's earliest recorded Buddhist community.
In the 190s, Cao Cao's campaigns against Tao Qian devastated Pengcheng, forcing a Buddhist community of ten thousand—led by figures such as Ze Rong—to flee toward the Yangtze valley. After Lü Bu's defeat in 198 CE, the seat of Xu Province moved from Tancheng County to Xiapi, and was finally fixed at Pengcheng under the Western Jin, cementing its regional primacy.
Administrative boundaries were frequently adjusted to reflect these military shifts. In 411, the Eastern Jin established North Xuzhou at Pengcheng, distinct from Xuzhou at Guangling, later Jingkou. By 421, the Liu Song dynasty restored the "Xuzhou" designation to Pengcheng and renamed its southern counterpart South Xuzhou. Although Pengcheng withstood a Northern Wei siege in 450–451, its capture by the Northern Wei in 466 ended southern dynastic rule over the Huaibei region. (2026). 9780231159869, Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231159869
Located at the junction of the Si and Bian rivers, Xuzhou was a critical transport hub, though navigation was hindered by the "Two Rapids"—the Xuzhou Rapids (徐州洪, southeast of the city) and the Lüliang Rapids 呂梁洪,. Due to these rocky obstructions, the Sui dynasty's Tongji Canal adopted a circuitous route to bypass the city.
During the early Tang dynasty, the region experienced significant demographic growth. The registered population of Pengcheng, Feng, and Pei counties rose from 21,768 individuals in 639 to 205,286 by 742. (1999). 9787801225269, Jiangsu Guji Press. ISBN 9787801225269
Following the An Lushan Rebellion, Xuzhou served as a bulwark for the Bian Canal—the primary Jianghuai–Guanzhong logistics route. In 781, during the Rebellion of the Four Garrisons, the rebel Li Na seized the city to sever imperial logistics until the prefect Li Wei restored Tang control. In 788, the region was reorganized as a military circuit under Zhang Jianfeng, and was formally designated as the Wuning ( 武寧, "Pacification through Force") circuit in 805.
Subsequently, the circuit underwent a process of localization, evolving into a hereditary military interest group centered on the "Silver Sword" ( Yindao) corps. Driven by their own strategic interests, this elite unit frequently prevented imperial governors from effectively exercising their mandates.
In response, the Tang court implemented a radical crackdown in 862, when Governor Wang Shi disbanded the garrison. This measure drove many displaced soldiers into banditry or long-term border service in Lingnan. In 868, citing grievances over delayed rotations, 800 Wuning soldiers mutinied in Guilin under Pang Xun. Exacerbated by regional famine, the rebellion swelled into a composite force—supposedly numbering 200,000—that seized Xuzhou.Mark Edward Lewis (2026). 9780674064010, The Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press. ISBN 9780674064010
The court deployed Shatuo Turk cavalry under Li Guochang to suppress the insurgency. Following a year of intense combat, the circuit was symbolically renamed Ganhua (l=; "Transformation through Influence"), signaling a moral break from its rebellious past. Nevertheless, Xuzhou maintained a state of de facto autonomy through the final years of the Tang dynasty.
Local hydrological instability following the 1077 Yellow River breach necessitated continuous fortification. Prefect Su Shi oversaw the construction of defensive "Su Embankment" ( Sudi, 蘇堤) on the city's western perimeter. (1994). 9780674955981, Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University : Harvard-Yenching Institute : Distributed by the Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674955981 As the Yellow River permanently captured the Huai River course, Xuzhou became a critical but flood-prone node for Grand Canal transit. In 1352, Yuan Chancellor Toqto suppressed the Red Turban forces led by "Sesame Li" in Xuzhou to secure imperial grain routes, briefly renaming the city Wu'an (武安; literally "Peace Restored by Force").
During the late imperial period, the city's historical significance rested on the intersection of Grand Canal logistics and the management of the volatile Yellow River.. Following the Ming capital's relocation to Beijing, the city hosted the major granary and one of the seven national customs barriers ( chaoguan, 鈔關).
Yellow River management in the late 16th century prioritized imperial tribute and the Ming Ancestral Mausoleum over regional safety. The 1579 "flush silt with clear water" ( xuqing shuahuang, 蓄清刷黃) policy caused systemic riverbed elevation and culminated in the 1624 deluge that buried the walled city under four meters of water and sediment. To mitigate these navigational risks, the completion of the Jia Canal redirected the primary Grand Canal artery to the northeast, marginalizing Xuzhou's position within the imperial grain logistics system. is also shown.]]During the Ming-Qing transition, Xuzhou was one of the Four Jiangbei Garrisons (江北四鎮) defending the southern bank of the Yellow River for the Nanjing-based Ming court.The city was taken by the Qing in mid-1645. Local gentry Yan Ermei (閻爾梅) and Wan Shouqi (萬壽祺) remained loyal to the Ming, refusing to hold office under the new dynasty.
The 1668 Tancheng Earthquake caused widespread destruction and heavy casualties throughout Xuzhou. In 1733, the Qing government restructured the administration of northern Jiangsu by converting the Independent Department of Xuzhou to Xuzhou Prefecture. Tongshan County—named after an island in the Nansi Lake—was established as its seat-governing county, with jurisdiction over Xinyi, Pizhou, Suining, and Suqian.
In the 1850s, the Yellow River shifted northward, drastically changing the region. An 1851 breach flooded the western shores of the Nansi Lakes; when the river changed course again in 1855, the canal system was rendered defunct. As the water receded, the newly exposed land led to fierce competition between returning locals and Shandong migrants. These migrants organized paramilitary "Lakeside Communities" ( hutuan, 湖團), sparking long-term land disputes that still affect the Jiangsu-Shandong border today.
The economic collapse of the canal system and the devastation of the floods fueled large-scale rural insurgencies, most notably the Nian Rebellion, along with Big Swords Society later.
In November 1921, the "Gate No. 8" Incident occurred at the Tongshan (now Xuzhou) station locomotive shop. A strike erupted after French management restricted workers from leaving through the facility's exit to extend working hours, gaining solidarity across the entire Longhai Railway. (2026). 9787214259554, 江苏人民出版社. ISBN 9787214259554 This action facilitated the 1922 establishment of the first Communist Party branch in Jiangsu province at the Tongshan Station. In 1922, the Beiyang government formally designated Xuzhou as a commercial port.
Warlord factionalism persisted through the 1920s, with control shifting between Zhang Zongchang (1924) and Sun Chuanfang (1925) before Nationalist forces captured the city in June 1927 during the Northern Expedition. On June 20, Chiang Kai-shek met with Guominjun leader Feng Yuxiang there to form an alliance. A subsequent counteroffensive by the Sun–Zhang coalition forced a brief Nationalist withdrawal and prompted Chiang's resignation, though the city was recaptured by the Nationalists in December.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Xuzhou became the target of a massive Japanese pincer movement, prompting Nationalist forces to evacuate on May 19, 1938. To impede the Japanese advance, the Nationalists made the strategic decision in June to breach the Yellow River dikes at Huayuankou, triggering catastrophic flooding across the regions west and south of Xuzhou.
Following the Japanese occupation, Catholic and Protestant missionaries established an International Refugee Committee and safety zones (2026). 9781925643602, ATF Theology. ISBN 9781925643602. A July 1938 U.S. diplomatic report, citing missionary A. A. McFadyen, characterized the military's conduct in Xuzhou as a "duplicate" of the occupation of Nanking.
In 1939, Xuzhou was established as a municipality (or city) from the urban areas of Tongshan County. It was initially administered by the North China Political Council, reorganized as the Su-Huai Special Region in 1942, and became the capital of Huaihai province (淮海省) in 1944 under the Wang Jingwei regime.
On 3 August 1945, the 1st Bomb Squadron of the Chinese-American Composite Wing raid targeting Xuzhou rail facilities reported a supposedly successful mission. However, the Nanjing authorities reported that the bombs struck Nanguan (the city's southern suburb), about one mile away. The strike on dense crowds resulted in roughly 2,300 casualties, including approximately 700 civilian fatalities.9787305200175 ISBN 9787305200175
The Nationalist government resumed control in September 1945 and hosted the "Committee of Three" (including George Marshall) for ceasefire negotiations in 1946. By June 1948, the city became the seat of the Nationalist "Bandit Suppression" Headquarters (剿匪總司令部), commanding 800,000 troops. Following the decisive Huaihai Campaign," Battle of Suchow". Life Magazine, December 6, 1948. Communist forces took control on December 1, 1948—an outcome that facilitated the eventual capture of the Nationalist capital, Nanjing.
Administered by Shandong after 1949, Xuzhou reverted to Jiangsu in 1953. (1999). 9780415207768, Routledge. ISBN 9780415207768 Following the 1955 transfer of Dangshan and Xiao counties to Anhui, the region maintained a dual-track administration—comprising a Municipality (urban core) and a Prefecture (renamed Region in 1970)—for three decades.
In 1975, Minister Wan Li intervened to resolve severe transport blockages in Xuzhou caused by late-Cultural Revolution factionalism. By restoring centralized ministerial control and suppressing local factions, Deng Xiaoping established the "Xuzhou Experience" (徐州经验) as the national template for the "all-round readjustment" of the Chinese economy.
In 1986, 15 prefectures and cities formally established the Xuzhou-centered Huaihai Economic Zone, a pioneering case of trans-administrative integration in contemporary China. (1992). 9780415001038, Routledge. ISBN 9780415001038 On April 22, 1993, the State Council ratified Xuzhou as a "Larger Municipality" with independent legislative power.
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| City Proper | |||||
| Gulou District | 鼓楼区 | 806,550 | 222.6 | 3,623 | |
| Yunlong District | 云龙区 | 471,566 | 120.0 | 3,930 | |
| Quanshan District | 泉山区 | 619,784 | 102.4 | 6,053 | |
| Suburban | |||||
| Jiawang District | 贾汪区 | 453,555 | 612.4 | 740.6 | |
| Tongshan District | 铜山区 | 1,237,760 | 1,952 | 634.1 | |
| Rural | |||||
| Feng County | 丰县 | 935,200 | 1,447 | 646.3 | |
| Pei County | 沛县 | 1,038,337 | 1,328 | 781.9 | |
| Suining County | 睢宁县 | 1,088,553 | 1,768 | 615.7 | |
| Satellite cities (County-level cities) | |||||
| Xinyi City | 新沂市 | 969,922 | 1,573 | 616.6 | |
| Pizhou | 邳州市 | 1,462,563 | 2,086 | 701.1 | |
| Total | 9,083,790 | 11,211 | 810.3 | ||
This terrain is punctuated by limestone inselberg (isolated rock hills) that rise abruptly from the floodplain, including Yunlong Mountain and the region's highest point, Dadong Mountain . Geologically, these formations constitute the Xuzhou–Huaibei fold-thrust belt at the southeastern margin of the North China Craton.
Tectonic activity along the Tancheng–Lujiang (Tan-Lu) fault zone led to the formation of the Xuzhou and Feng-Pei coalfields. By the late 1990s, the region's proven coal reserves reached 3.94 billion tonnes—accounting for over 93% of Jiangsu province's total.
Intensive coal mining has caused landscape fragmentation and subsidence-induced flooding. Through the closure of small-scale mines and ecological restoration—including the conversion of waterlogged subsidence areas in northern Xuzhou and Jiawang into the Jiuli Lake and Pan'an Lake artificial wetlands—the local environment has partially recovered.
The regional hydrology is defined by two major man-made waterways: the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Abandoned Course of the Yellow River. Functioning as a "perched river" with its bed elevated above the surrounding terrain, the abandoned course now acts as a drainage divide between the Huai and Yi-Shu-Si river systems.Yong Yang (2005). 9787811071191, China University of Mining and Technology Press. ISBN 9787811071191
Due to its low-lying topography, the elevated riverbed, and its location at the meandering transition, the region was historically plagued by floods; records indicate 59 levee breaches near Xuzhou between 1550 and 1855. Today, the ancient riverbed bisects the city proper, while Yunlong Lake serves as both a scenic landmark and a reservoir to the southwest.
While situated on a relatively stable fault zone independent of the main Tan-Lu system, the urban area remains at risk due to historical thixotropic silt deposits (liquefiable soil that loses strength during earthquakes), which amplify seismic effects.
Historically, the population of Xuzhou Prefecture (which then included present-day Dangshan, Xiao counties, and the urban districts of Suqian) grew from 2.95 million in 1776 to 4.34 million in 1910. Despite this growth, the region remained predominantly agricultural with minimal industrial or commercial activity; in 1910, the urban population of the prefectural seat was only approximately 32,000. Urbanization accelerated in the 20th century: the city's population reached 171,903 in 1931, 314,773 in 1947, and 333,190 in the 1953 Census.
Since the 2000s, resource depletion led to the closure of most local mines, with the sector consolidating under three major entities: Xuzhou Mining Group, Shanghai Datun Energy Resources, and China Resources Tianneng Xuzhou Coal and Power. As of 2023, the industry's total assets for above-scale enterprises reached 41.98 billion RMB.
The transition to renewables began in 2006 with the establishment of GCL Silicon. In the same year, the company commissioned its first polysilicon facility in Xuzhou, (2026). 9780857938985, Edward Elgar. ISBN 9780857938985 which subsequently developed into a major production site for photovoltaic materials. In 2024, BYD Company began building a 30 GWh sodium-ion battery plant in Xuzhou.
As of 2023, the city's specialized equipment manufacturing sector comprised 225 enterprises above designated size. Annual output for major products included 143,167 tons of mining equipment and 729,259 tons of cranes. In addition to heavy machinery, Xuzhou has developed into a production base for two-wheelers, with annual motorcycle output totaling 526,300 units in 2023.
In terms of modern facilities, the Xuzhou Concert Hall opened in 2011. Shaped like a myrtle flower, it has hosted the city's first philharmonic orchestra since its establishment in 2015.
A staple is laomo (烙馍, locally pronounced luomo), a thin, chewy, unleavened flatbread used to wrap ingredients. Other common foods include local-style goat-meat noodles, rice noodles, and bazirou (braised pork belly). The city is noted for spicy soup (eel, hen, and gluten heavily seasoned with black pepper) and Sha soup (汤, hen, barley, and gluten seasoned with sesame oil); both can be served with beaten raw eggs.
The region also features diguo ("earth-pot") cookery: meat is simmered into a concentrated gravy while unleavened dough patches are pressed onto the pot's rim to be cooked by the rising steam. Historically, dog meat consumption was prevalent in the area. Since the 1980s expansion of goat husbandry, the annual Fuyang Festival (伏羊节, est. 2002) has institutionalized summer goat-meat consumption as a local tradition.
Xuzhou is deemed one of earlier Buddhist centres in China supposedly because the Emperor Ming of Han mentioned that the then Prince of Chu Liu Ying built a "temple for Buddha".
Under the direction of the Canadian Jesuits, the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was completed in 1910 and remains the city's principal church. By 1940, the vicariate reported 73,932 adherents. In 1941, the eastern portion of the vicariate was entrusted to the American Franciscans.
Xuzhoubei Railway Station, located in the north, is the largest marshalling yard of the China Railway Shanghai Group, handling over 20,000 wagons daily. As one of 14 designated China Railway Express assembly centers, Xuzhou maintains sea-rail intermodal connections to the ports of Ningbo-Zhoushan, Lianyungang, Yangshan, and Qingdao. In 2023, the annual rail freight volume reached 54.53 million tons.
Luning oil pipeline, which originates from Linyi county of Shandong to Nanjing, passes through Xuzhou.
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