Xuzhou

Once called Pengcheng and a heartland of Han culture, Xuzhou offers Han terracotta warriors, the Chu King's Tomb at Lion Hill and Yunlong Lake — plus pot-stewed chicken and barbecue — making it a top city in the Huaihai region.

Xuzhou, known in ancient times as Pengcheng, lies in northwestern Jiangsu where Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan and Anhui meet. At the junction of the Beijing–Shanghai and Longhai trunk railways, it is a crossroads of five provinces and the central city of the Huaihai Economic Zone. This is the hometown of Liu Bang, founding emperor of the Han dynasty; under the Western Han it was the capital of the Kingdom of Chu, ruled by twelve generations of Chu kings, who left behind many royal tombs carved into hillsides along with a wealth of Han relics. Han tombs, Han terracotta warriors and Han stone reliefs are known as the "Three Wonders of the Han," and this Han heritage is the city's biggest draw; there are also memorials to the Huaihai Campaign, the scenery of Yunlong Lake, and the Ming–Qing old town on Hubu Hill. A visit falls into three parts: first, the historic core downtown (Xuzhou Museum and the Tushan Han Tomb, the Hubu Hill historic buildings, the Huilongwo historic quarter), easily linked on foot or by metro; second, the Chu King's Tomb at Lion Hill and the Han Terracotta Warriors Museum in the eastern suburbs, and the Guishan Han Tomb in the northern suburbs; third, the Yunlong Lake–Yunlong Hill scenic area and the Huaihai Campaign Martyrs' Monument and Memorial Hall in the south, plus the Pan'an Lake Wetland in Jiawang District (a wetland park restored from land that subsided after coal mining). The climate is warm-temperate monsoon with four distinct seasons; Apr–May and Sep–Oct are the most pleasant, summers are hot and rainy, and winters are dry and cold. Getting there: Xuzhou East Station is a hub where the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway meets the Xuzhou–Lanzhou, Xuzhou–Yancheng and other lines — about 2.5 hours to Beijing, 2.5 hours to Shanghai and 1 hour to Nanjing; Xuzhou Guanyin International Airport is in Suining County; the city has several metro lines. Allow 2 days: one for the museum and Han tombs, one for Yunlong Lake, Yunlong Hill and Hubu Hill. Admission: Xuzhou Museum is free but requires a reservation (closed Mondays); the Han Culture Scenic Area (Chu King's Tomb at Lion Hill + Han Terracotta Warriors) costs about ¥90, the Guishan Han Tomb about ¥72, and Yunlong Lake is free — check official sources for current prices. Food is Xuzhou's other calling card: pot-stewed chicken (diguo ji), flatbread rolls with fried dough twists, lamb stuffed with fish (yangfang cangyu), sha soup for breakfast, and late-night barbecue; snack stalls cluster around Hubu Hill and Huilongwo. Tips: the tomb passages are chilly and narrow, so bring a light jacket even in summer; museum reservations sell out fast on holidays, so book early.

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