City guide: Xuzhou     

1. General introduction

Located in the northwest of Jiangsu Province, Xuzhou is the largest city of northern

Jiangsu as well as the most ancient city of the province. As the joining point of

Jiangsu, Henan and Shandong provinces, the city boasts of its most important geogra

-phic location that makes it the place all the states of ancient China scrambled for.

Thousands of years' history has blessed the city with profound culture, especially

when it was the second political center of the Han Dynasty (260BC-220). Now, the city

is the center of the Huaihai economic development zone and also one of the nation's

most important agricultural product bases.

Location & population

Xuzhou is situated in the Northern China Plain, almost in the middle between

Beijing and Shanghai, about 600 km to each of the two metropolises, and about 300

km to the provincial capital, Nanjing. The city and its jurisdiction lie in the

extreme west corner of the province, bordering Anhui and Shandong provinces.

About 10% of its land is hilly area occupying the middle and eastern portions of

the city, with the highest point 361 m, the summit of Dadong Hill. Thevcity's

elevation is gradually reduced from its middle and east to the west and south,

with 30-50 m in average over the sea level.

The city has abundant water resource, with more than 213 rivers flowing within its

boundary, including the Grand Canal. In its jurisdiction, there are two major lakes,

Lake Luoma and Lake Weishan, plus 91 artificial reservoirs. Another important natural

resource is coal, with a production of 2.5 million tones annually.

Xuzhou jurisdiction has a population close ten million and its physical land mass is

11,260 square kilometers. Xuzhou, the city itself, has a population of close 2 mil-

lion, including about a million living in unban area.

Climate

The city experiences a mild climate with distinct seasons, and its springs and

autumns are short while the summers last very long. Precipitation is lower than

the average level of its Jiangsu neighbors, only 800-950 mm annually.

Economy & industry

Xuzhou, together with its subdivision cities and counties, was ever considered as

an agricultural land. In the past, the agricultural income occupied a major portion

of the city's economy, but it has been remarkably shrinking over years. Now the agri

-cultural earning fills up only 3% of the GDP of the city. The principal farming

products include rice, wheat, cotton, oil seed, fruit, vegetable, etc. For Pizhou,

a city under the jurisdiction of Xuzhou, garlic is one of its major products. Xuzhou

is intensifying new efforts to boost its green agriculture, organic food and tree

plantation. The city is also honored as a region for the harvest of apple and

ginkgo.

Xuzhou has been an industrial center since the past decades and the recent in-

vestments has added more industrial sectors. Due to the improvement of its industrial

infrastructure, the city’s industrial GDP has experienced a strong growth of 14-17%

each year in the past five years. The city has become one of the most critical cities

in the economic development region, the Huaihai (Huai River) Economic and Development

Zone that involves four provinces in the East of China: Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and

Anhui. The city was ranked at the 42nd by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for its

conprehensive competence for investment attraction in China's major cities in 2006.

The city has abundant coal mineral, one of the largest nature resources in this region.

Coal has become one of the important fuels in Xuzhou in producing electricity and

other energies. Other natural resources are marble, lime, salt, etc.Industrialization

and the use of coal as fuel have brought a remarkable pollution to the city for its

air and environment. Contaninants entering rivers, from nearby papermaking

factories, poison farmers's fish stocks and affect residents' drinking water

supplies. The municipal government has made tough environmental policies and has

spent significant funds over years to protect its air and environment. Many

polluters have been shut down or entaered in monitory process. At present,

the city’s urban tree coverage rate reach 38% and many facilities have been set up

in order to monitor air quality.

2. Transportation

Xuzhou has quite perfect transportation facilities both in air and land. The parti

-cular location makes its airport a transport center of 'Huai-Hai Economic Zone'(an

economic developing area including Jiangsu and its neighboring provinces). Here, five

national highways and 20 provincial highways are connected, extending to 16 provinces

and 80 cities in China. It plays an essential role in goods transport between

southern and northern China. 

Railway

Xuzhou is called the 'Junction of China's Railways' due to its important role in the

nation's transportation. Two of the nation's main railway branches connect here, so

it's very convenient for you to come here from south or north China by train. There

are direct trains to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao and Wuhan and many other trains usually

stop here. If you want to go to southern or western cities, you should book well in

advance as the ticket is not always easy to get.

   Inquiries: phone: 0516-95105175

   Ticket Booking Phone: 16070

   Group Ticket Booking Phone:

   0516-83923162

   Addresses of Ticket Selling Centers :

   No.138, Pengcheng Road

   No.12, West Huaihai Road

   No. 166, East Huaihai Road

   No.55, Heping Road

   No.202, West Jinpu Road

Air

Located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) southeast of Xuzhou City, Xuzhou Guanyin

Airport (XUZ) is one of the main access points to the city. There are direct

flights to Beijing (once a day), Shanghai (twice a day), Guangzhou (five times

a week), Shenzhen (five times a week), Chengdu (four times a week), Xiamen (four

times a week), Dalian (four times a day), Guilin (twice a week) and other large

cities in China. The airport is also the transfer center of many other flights.

Airport shuttle buses run from Xuzhou Restaurant to the airport two hours before

flight time. The ticket is about CNY20. 

Addresses of Ticket Selling Centers in the city: 

No. 88, West Jianguo Road 

No.201, East Huaihai Road (Xuzhou Restaurant) 

No.2-6, Jiefang Road (Commercial Bank) 

No.202, West Jinpu Road (Jiali International Hotel) 

3. Education & Health care

International Schools

EtonHouse Xuzhou (International pre-school)

The EtonHouse International Education Group is a global organisation based in 9

countries with over 9000 children from 61 different nationalities. Headquartered

in Singapore, the more than 90 EtonHouse International Schools and Pre-Schools

in many countries across Asia have established standards of excellence in interna

-tional education from kindergarten to the senior years.

EtonHouse International Pre-School ,

Xuzhou will open in September 2014.

The school will offer young children

a thoughtfully considered and aestheti

-cally designed beautiful learning

environment, designed to stimulate

the learning and development of young

children from 18 months to 6 years

of age.

Located in Xuzhou International

Science and Education Industrial

Park, the brand new pre-school

sits on 9,766 sqm of land with a total building area of 5,299 sqm, providing

a high quality inspiring learning environment for children from 18 months to

6 years old. The state of art facilities with thoughtfully and beautifully designed

learning spaces will offer children a rich environment full of exciting and engaging

learning possibilities.

The pre-school offers an international research based programme delivered by highly

qualified teaching staff. The curriculum is derived from the renowned EtonHouse

Inquire • Think • Learn programme, inspired by the infant and toddler centres of

Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy, hailed by Newsweek as one of the best in the world.

Hospitals

The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College

Address: 99 Huaihai Road West, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002 

Phone:86-516-8569 8950

This hospital was founded in 1897 with a history of more than a hundred years.

The hospital has beds of 1,050 and provides extensive health care service. It is

a member of International Urgency Aid Network Centers. To go there, contact your

institution first to see if you can locate the section where English can be spoken.

VIP wards and pharmacy are available.

4. Recreation

Shopping

Xuzhou has many local specialties including food, wine, fruit, and handicrafts.

Peixian dog meat, great burdock products, children's crunchy candies, and sweet

-scented osmanthus hawthorn cakes are well known local foods, while winter peaches

and Fushi apples are widely planted local fruits. Peigong Family Wine, first

produced over two thousands years ago, is always famous for its sweetness, purity,

and long aftertaste. There are handicrafts of various kinds including paper-cuttings,

peasant's paintings, children's paintings, wooden toys, cloth toys, embroideries,

and straw-plaited articles. They all make good choices for you to buy as souvenirs.

Stamp albums and postcards with paintings of Han Dynasty (260BC-220) stone sculptures

are also worth buying.

The commercial center of the city is East Huihai Road and South Zhongshan Road

where you can find nearly everything you want to buy. Another center is around

Pengcheng Square, where you can visit many shopping malls, exclusive brand clothes

stores, supermarkets, and book stores. The Central Fashion Street under the square

is also a good choice.

Tip: The No.1, No.33, No.37, No.39, No.56, No.59, No.73 and No.75 city-buses will

take you to the Pengcheng Square.

If you want to save money, you can go to the Xuanwu Market located on both sides

of Xuanwu Road in the center of the city. This market sells a wide range of items

ranging from daily necessities, clothes, and cosmetics to electrical appliances

and various foods. You can bargain with the sellers while you decide whether to

buy their goods.

Tip: City-buses that go to the Xuanwu Market are No.5, No.18, No.50, No.66,

No.68 and No.101.

Xuzhou also has some antique markets. One is on Xuanwu Road and the other is the

Flower and Bird Market on Jianguo Road. If you are interested in jade, ancient

coins, potteries and books, you can go to these two places.

Addresses of Some Shopping Centers

Xuzhou Department Store: No.1, South Zhongshan Road

Xuzhou Shopping City: No.45, East Huanghe Road

Jinying (Golden Eagle) International Shopping Center: North of Pengcheng Square

Youyi (Friendship) Department Store: No.268, West Huaihai Road

Supermarket

Carrefour

Address: No.6, North Zhongshan Road

Business Hour: 08:30-22:00 (Monday to Sunday)

Bus Lines: No.2, No.9, No.17, No.21, No.33, No.38, No.48, No.56, No.57, No.69

and No.76

Nightlife

Although Xuzhou is an ancient city, the local people still enjoy a modern nightlife.

They go to bars, amusement centers, cinemas, or various gymnasiums for relaxation

and recreation. Hubu Hill in the center of the city is where most of the bars are

located. Walking along the pedestrian street near the hill, you can find bars built

in different architectural styles and filled with diverse music from China as well

as western countries. The best known are the Cool Show Bar, the Virgin Bar, the E

Bar, and the Storm Intense Emotion Bar.

Surrounded by green trees, Gupeng Square is also an enjoyable place to spend your

evening. Beautiful winding paths lead you to a music fountain that is very popular

with the local people. The endless variations in the music modulate the shape of

the water in the fountain while the multicolored lights make the shimmering water

even more beautiful. Sometimes, you may be lucky enough to witness performances

such as local operas and dances as well as shows of traditional folk handicrafts.

Additionally, in the Gupeng Underground Amusement City under the square, you can

take a comfortable bath, enjoy a massage, or have a taste of traditional Chinese

food.

Recently, Xuzhou has begun holding some special festivals to enrich the city's

nightlife. The Pengcheng Beer Festival held in August each year attracts thousands

of people. During the nightly revelry, people sing, dance, and drink beer together.

Excellent performances are often rewarded with bursts of applause and cheering.

Another festival that was just started in 2006 is the Bar Culture Festival. Running

from March 18 to April 18, its focus is to promote wine appreciation and to showcase

the revival of the local people's recreational life. The excellent performances,

and interesting interactive games, together with the exciting audiences, make the

party extremely breath-taking and impressive.

If you like a more peaceful environment and are interested in Chinese tea culture,

you can go to the tea houses located throughout the city.

 Addresses of some Tea Houses

Qingxinju Tea House: East gate of Pengyuan Garden, South Jiefang Road, Quanshan

District

Mingxiangyuan Tea House: No.253, West Huaihai Road, Quanshan District

Yaxinyuan Tea House: No.1-No.35, Antique City, South Pengcheng Road,

Yunlong District

 Addresses of other Recreation Venues

Top One Club: North of the Baida Supermarket, Jiefang Road

Zhongshantang Amusement City: No.68, East Huaihai Road

Bailemen Amusement City: No.49, East Huanghe Road

Athena Karaoke Bar: No.155, East Huaihai Road

Ximatai Bowling Corporation: No.108, Jiefang Road

Cuisine

Xuzhou is also called 'Pengcheng' because over 4,000 years ago, Pengzu, the

father of Chinese cuisine, once lived there. At the same time, as the second

political center of the Han Dynasty (260BC-220), the city was greatly influenced

by the Han culture. The profound cultures epitomize the city's particular dinning

customs. Nearly every dish has a legend or a historic story linked to it.

Famous Traditional Dishes

Yang Fang Cang Yu (Fish Stewed in Mutton)

This dish originated over 4,000 years ago, and is honored to be the first kind

of food although improved by chefs in every following dynasty. The chefs usually

cut open the belly of a sheep; put fish in it, add various seasonings and stew

them together. The dish is not only tasty but also nourishing. Legend has it

that the son of Pengzu liked fishing very much. But Pengzu didn't allow him to

fish in case he fell in and drowned. One day, he stealthily went to fish without

his father's knowledge. When he returned he asked his mother to put the fish into

the belly of the mutton to be boiled in order that his father would not discover

it. Unluckily, Pengzu discovered this secret but he felt the dish was so fresh

and delicious that he decided to improve it. Gradually, the dish became popular

among the local people and still remains so.

Bawang Bie Ji

This is a special dish connected with a moving story in Chinese history. Bawang

means overlord that refers to a hero named Xiang Yu (232BC-202BC), who once fought

for the throne with Liu Bang. Ji refers to his wife Yu Ji who kept accompanying

him during all the wars. Bie just means to depart. When Xiang Yu was defeated

by Liu Bang in Xuzhou, Yu Ji killed herself in order not to witness her husband's

miserable situation. Xiang Yu was so sad about his wife's death that he also

killed himself. This moving story is widely known among the Chinese and this

dish is created by Xuzhou people to commemorate them. The dish is made by steaming

turtle and chicken in a pottery pot with fresh soup, wine, shallots, hams, mushrooms

and other ingredients. It is famous for the crisp meat, mellow and fresh soup as well

as its novel appearance.

Dongpo Hui Zeng Rou (Meat given back to the citizens by Dongpo)

Hearing the name, you may guess that this dish also has an interesting story.

Dongpo refers to Su Shi (1037-1101), a famous literate in the Northern Song

Dynasty (960-1127). When he was the official of Xuzhou, storms and flood disasters

occurred. Regardless of his own safety, Dongpo personally led his people to fight

against the disasters bravely and they eventually succeeded. To express their

appreciation to Dongpo, people gave lots of meat to their official as presents.

Dongpo accepted the meat but he ordered his chefs to cook it and then gave it

back to his people, hence the name of the dish. Now, the method of cooking the

dish has been well developed. The chefs usually select the meat from the ribs of

streaky pork; cut it into big pieces and then stew it with many seasonings in

fresh soup. The cooked meat tastes crisp and full-bodied, leaving your palate

with wonderful flavors.

Recommended Restaurants

Xuzhou Hotel: No.201 East Huaihai Road

Pengcheng Restaurant: No.40 East Huaihai Road

Representative Local Snacks

Sha Soup was granted as 'the First Soup under the Heaven' by Emperor Qianlong of

the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It is said to be created by Pengzu with the original

name of Pheasant Soup. It is made by boiling pheasant meat, pigs' bones and pork

together with shallots, gingers and other seasonings and cooked in a low oven.

The soup is often eaten together with some thin cakes and this has become one of

the most popular breakfasts for Xuzhou people.

Recommended Restaurant

Mashi Jie Sha Soup: No.7 Suyuan Community, South Jiefang Road

La Tang (Pepper Soup) is another peculiar snack that you can only find in Xuzhou.

The condensed soup is a mixture of gluten and chicken soup. When the mixture is

boiled, put some stewed chicken that has been cut into shreds as well as some

other ingredients like gingers, shallots and pepper powder. You may certainly

be surprised at its strange but delicious taste.

Recommended Restaurant

Liang Feng Lai Restaurant:

No.266 South Minzhu Road

No. 12 Daqing Road

No.38 Dongyuan Commercial Street, East Sanhuan Road

No.14 Dibei Road

In fact, there are many other snacks also popular among both the local people

and the tourists, such as Diguo, Zhuangmo, Laomo and Wowo. If you want to know

what they are, why not go there to have a taste yourself? You can go to the South

Jiefang Road or the South Fuxing Road that are the two famous streets in Xuzhou

providing delicious food.

Restaurant for Vegetarians:

Zhaofu Lou Restaurant: No.61 South Zhongshan Road

Western Fast Food Restaurants:

KFC: No.1 South Zhongshan Road

No.252 West Huaihai Road

McDonald's: No.12 - 16 West Huaihai Road

Coffee Houses

UBC Coffee: No.93 Pengcheng Road

DIO Coffee:No.80 South Zhongshan Road

BBS Coffee: No.45 South Zhongshan Road

Attractions

Long history blesses Xuzhou with deep cultures, especially the Han Dynasty (260BC-220)

culture. The first Han emperor, Gaozu, was born in Peixian County of Xuzhou, which

then went on to become the second cultural and political center of the nation during

the Han Dynasty. The cultural relics are scattered in the beautiful scenic spots,

making the city extremely attractive

Xuzhou Museum of Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses of Han Dynasty: You may have

heard of the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xian, but you will be more

surprised when you see the Han terracotta warriors in this museum. Located in the

west side of the Lion Hill, the museum shows thousands of terracotta warriors and

horses. Standing in the two pits, the warriors, old or young, silent or naughty, all

present different expressions of crying, laughing, frowning or contemplating. The

ancient artisans emphasized to show the inner heart world and the characteristics

of the warriors through their different gestures and expressions. These vividly made

warriors have been shown abroad and won praises and appreciations again and again.

Guishan Han Tomb, located in the west side of Guishan Mountain in the Jiuli District,

is the most famous Han tomb due to it's large scale, exquisite architecture and

mysterious building ways. It is the tomb for the sixth prince and princess of the

Western Han Dynasty-Liu Zhu (128BC- 116BC) and his wife. The workmen at that

time dug out the mountainside and built this palace like tomb, which is consisted

of two corridors, two tomb paths and five halls including bedrooms, parlors, kitchens

and stables.

Gallery of Han Stone Sculptures is a special museum collecting and exhibiting the

stone sculptures of the Han Dynasty. It is located near the Yunlong Mountain and

holds over 1,000 stone sculptures. The most precious and famous sculptures amongst

the collection are the Weaving Picture, the Cattle Ploughing Picture, the Drinking

with Dance and Music Picture as well as the All Birds towards Phoenix. Combined

painting and carving art together, these stone pictures present the true life and

beautiful fairy stories of the ancient people.

Xuzhou Han City is located in the Jiuli district. As a modern architecture built

in the Han Dynasty style, it is one of the television bases of CCTV (China Central

Television) where many teleplays and films are made. Also, it is an artistic palace

both to enjoy the Han culture and to relax and recreate. The Imperial Palace displays

nearly all the artifacts from the ancient palace. The statues of the emperor and

other officials give it a realistic atmosphere. There are many entertainment

activities that you can take part in, such as cockfight, kid show and arrow

shooting. You can also appreciate various performances telling the stories and

customs of the Han Dynasty.