XuzhouislocatedinthenorthwestofJiangsuProvince,only300kilometersawayfromNanjing,theprovincialcapitalofJiangsu.

　　Xuzhouhasamildclimatewithdistinctseasons.PlainsformthemostpartofXuzhoualternatingwithhillylands.Yiriver,Shuriver,theGrandCanalandtheearliercourseofHuangheRiverallrunthroughthecitywhileLuomaLakeandWeishangLakearescatteredonthesouthernandnorthernfringesofthecity.

　　TheoriginalnameofXuzhouis“Pengcheng”,with6000-yearsplendidculture.DuringthetimeofEmperorYao,DapengStatewasestablishedhere.Ithasa2500-yearcitybuildinghistory,andisoneofthefirstcitiesinJiangsuProvince.XuzhouwasoneoftheninestatesundertheruleofEmperorYuoftheXiaDynasty(21centuryB.C.)whenhewasinchargeoftheregulationofriversandwatercourses.AtthattimeXuzhouwasanameforawidearea,inwhichPengchengfunctionedasthecentertown.

　　XuzhouusedtobeintheterritoryofChuStateintheQinandHanDynasties.ItwasthecapitalofXichuduringthetimeofwarfarebetweenGeneralXiangYuandGeneralLiuBang.AfterLiu‘ssuccessitbecamethefiefofhisrelativesforhundredsofyearsafterwards.InthelateEasternHanDynasty,CaoCao(thechancelloratthattime)assignedaprefecturalgovernortoadministerPengchengandthiswasthefirsttimethepresentnameXuzhouwasused.Thecitywasofficiallysetupin1945andcameunderthedirectcontrolofJiangsuProvincesince1953.ThecitynowadayshasjurisdictionoverfourcountiesofFengxian,Peixian,Tongshan,Suining,twocounty-classcitiesofPizhouandXinyi,andfivedistrictsofYunlong,Gulou,Quanshan,JiuliandJiawang.Itcoversanareaof11,258square