Xuzhou, which was known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is the fourth largest prefecture-level city in Jiangsu province. It covers 11,258 square kilometers and has a registered population of 10.45 million. It has two county-level cities, three counties, five districts and two national development zones under its governance.

Aside from being located in the northwest of Jiangsu province, Xuzhou is also the common boundary of Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces, making it one of the most important transport hubs in China. It enjoys convenient sea-land-air access to other places. The Guanyin International Airport has opened 36 domestic and overseas routes connecting Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.

A night view of Xuzhou in East China's Jiangsu province [Photo/xz.gov.cn]

Economy

The economic and social development of Xuzhou city kept steady progress and improvement in 2022.

-The city realized a regional GDP of 840 billion yuan

-The increase of key economic indicators was higher than the average provincial level

-General public budget revenue reached 51.74 billion yuan, increasing by around 3.4%

-Fixed asset investment increased by 3%, of which industrial investment increased by 12.5%

-Total retail sales of social consumer goods reached 410.3 billion yuan, increasing by around 1.6%, with the growth rate ranking 2nd in the province

-Balance of deposits and loans at financial institutions reached 1058.44 billion yuan and 931.79 billion yuan respectively, increasing 6.8% and 16.4% accordingly

-The industrial added value above the designated level achieved 610 billion yuan

Xuzhou is the central city of Huaihai Economic Zone, one of the earliest approved zones in China that features regional economic cooperation and involves 10 cities in Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui provinces.

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. It was the hometown of Liu Bang (256-195BC), the first emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty was divided into Eastern Han and Western Han periods (206BC-189AD) lasting for over 400 years. During this time local kings in Xuzhou left numerous historic heritages, including Han clay figurines, Han stone relief carvings and the Han tombs, which are called "The Three Wonders of the Han Dynasty".

Education

Xuzhou is "a city of science and education" with a galaxy of talents and a list of prestigious universities, such as China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou Medical College, Jiangsu Normal University, and Xuzhou Institute of Technology.

Yanzi Lou in Xuzhou, East China's Jiangsu province [Photo/xz.gov.cn]