Xuzhou

A prefecture-level city in northwest Jiangsu Province, China. It governs five city districts, including Tongshan, and three counties, including Feng County, and acts as the administrative agent for two county-level cities, Xinyi and Pizhou (as of 2016). It has a permanent population of 8,669,000 (2015). The Beijing-Shuhai Line and the Longhai Line intersect, and the Grand Canal flows through the northeastern part of the city. The abandoned Yellow River, an old riverbed of the Yellow River, surrounds the city from the north to the east, and the Kui River flows from the south, forming a natural defensive line. The outside of these is surrounded by hills such as Jiuli Mountain and Yunlong Mountain. Due to this topography and its location at the junction of the four provinces of Shandong, Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu, it has been a strategic transportation and military location since ancient times.

During the Qin dynasty, Pengcheng County was established here, and during the Tang dynasty, it was the administrative center of Xuzhou. During the Ming dynasty, it became Xuzhou, and during the Qing dynasty, it was renamed Tongshan County and became the administrative center of Xuzhou Prefecture. In 1945, part of Tongshan County was separated to establish Xuzhou City. It is known as the site of the Battle of Xuzhou, fought between the Japanese army and the Nationalist government forces in 1938, and the Huaihai Campaign in 1948, in which the People's Liberation Army annihilated 14 divisions of the Nationalist government army, securing a decisive victory in the civil war.

The central part of the city is dotted with low hills about 200 meters above sea level, while the northern and eastern parts are plains that have suffered from floods since ancient times. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, flood control works were carried out on the troubled water systems of the Yi River, Shu River, and other rivers, and today the risk of flooding has been eliminated. The surrounding areas produce a lot of wheat, rice, soybeans, peanuts, and other crops, and Xuzhou is a distribution center for these crops. Large thermal power plants have been built using the abundant coal produced in the vicinity, and the coal chemical industry has also developed. Other industries include food processing, chemicals, building materials, and machinery, making Xuzhou an important industrial city in the north of the province. Within the city, there are scenic places and historical sites such as Yunlong Mountain, Fanghe Pavilion, and Tushan Han Tombs.

[Kazuo Hayashi, Editorial Department, February 16, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、江蘇(こうそ)省北西部の地級市。銅山(どうざん)など5市轄区、豊(ほう)県など3県を管轄し、新沂(しんぎ)、邳州(ひしゅう)2県級市の管轄代行を行う（2016年時点）。常住人口866万9000（2015）。京滬(けいこ)線、隴海(ろうかい)線が交わり、大運河が市の北東部を流れる。黄河(こうが)の旧河道である廃黄河(はいこうが)が市を北から東に取り巻き、南から奎河(けいが)が流れ、自然の防御線をつくる。これらの外側を九里山、雲竜山などの丘陵が取り囲む。この地形および山東(さんとう)、河南(かなん)、安徽(あんき)、江蘇の4省の接点に位置することから、古くから交通上、軍事上の要衝であった。

　秦(しん)代には彭城(ほうじょう)県が置かれ、唐代は徐州の治所であった。明(みん)代に徐州となり、清(しん)代に銅山県と改められて徐州府の治所となった。1945年銅山県の一部が分離して徐州市が設置された。1938年日本軍と国民政府軍との間で戦われた徐州会戦、1948年人民解放軍が国民政府軍14個師団を全滅させ、内戦の勝利を決定的にした淮海(わいかい)戦役の地として知られる。

　市の中央部には標高約200メートルの低い丘陵が点在し、北部と東部は平原で古くから洪水に苦しめられてきた。中華人民共和国成立後、沂河(ぎが)、沭河(じゅつが)などの乱れた水系が治水工事により整備され、今日では洪水の危険は除去された。周辺地区では小麦、米、大豆、ラッカセイなどの生産が多く、徐州はその集散地である。また近郊で産出される豊富な石炭を利用して大型の火力発電所が建設され、石炭化学工業も発達している。ほかに食品加工、化学、建材、機械などの工業が盛んであり、省北部の重要な工業都市となっている。市内には雲竜山、放鶴亭(ほうかくてい)、土山漢墓などの名勝・旧跡がある。

［林　和生・編集部　2017年2月16日］

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