Yunlong District 云龙区

What to see

The Lion Hill Chu king's tomb (狮子山楚王陵) is cut into the southern slope of the main peak of Lion Hill (狮子山). Han terracotta warriors found at the western foot of the hill in 1984 led archaeologists to the tomb in 1991, and it was excavated from December 1994 to March 1995. Carved into the rock and facing south, it runs 117 metres from north to south and has 12 chambers. Although probably robbed as early as the Xin dynasty, it still yielded more than 2,000 grave goods, including jade, gold and silver, bronze and coins. Its occupant is thought to be the second or third Western Han king of Chu. The four warrior pits held more than 2,300 painted pottery figures. The tomb was one of China's ten major archaeological finds of 1995 and was placed on the national key heritage list in 1996; it is preserved on site as part of the Xuzhou Han culture scenic area.

The Hubu Hill historic buildings (户部山古建筑群) surround Hubu Hill (户部山), formerly called South Hill. It took its present name after the Yellow River burst its banks in 1624 and the Ministry of Revenue's Xuzhou office moved up here to escape the flood. The raised ground drew wealthy families to build houses during the Ming and Qing, and thirteen fairly complete courtyard compounds with more than 500 rooms survive, among them the Zheng, Zhai and Yu family compounds and the mansion of the Hanlin academician Cui Tao (崔焘翰林府). The Yu and Zhai compounds now house the Xuzhou Folk Custom Museum (徐州民俗博物馆). The group was placed on the national key heritage list in 2006.

Getting oriented

The district borders the Xuzhou Economic Development Zone and the high-speed rail business district to the east. The district includes the Huaihai Road (淮海路) and Zhongshan Road (中山路) area, which Chinese Wikipedia describes as Xuzhou's centre for tourism, culture and services.

Highlights

• Lion Hill Chu king's tomb 狮子山楚王陵: Rock-cut Western Han royal tomb with pits of more than 2,300 painted pottery warriors; national key heritage site since 1996.
• Hubu Hill historic houses 户部山古民居: Thirteen Ming and Qing courtyard compounds on raised ground, two now the Xuzhou Folk Custom Museum; national key heritage site since 2006.