5 Days in Xuzhou

At Shizishan, 4,000-plus terracotta figures turned up in 1984 and the Chu king's rock-cut tomb yielded 2,000-plus relics. See the gold-threaded jade suit — 4,000-plus plaques — at the free museum (closed Mondays) the same afternoon.

1. xuzhou han culture scenic area
2. xuzhou museum

About 7 square kilometres of lake, free to walk. The 142-metre hill holds the pavilion from Su Shi's 1078 essay; the free pictorial-stone museum by the south shore closes out the afternoon.

1. xuzhou yunlong lake
2. xuzhou yunlong hill
3. xuzhou han pictorial stone museum

The Guishan tomb's two corridors, 56 metres long, meet the centreline within a 1/16000 error — surveyors still study them. Fifteen chambers cover 700-plus square metres. Spend the afternoon in free Peng Zu park, named for the sage said to have lived 800 years.

1. xuzhou guishan han tomb
2. xuzhou pengzu park

The Ming-Qing courtyards of Hubu Hill climb above the old city; Xima Terrace remembers Xiang Yu, capital-maker of Pengcheng in 206 BC. End the day in Huilongwo's restored lanes with a bowl of sha soup.

1. xuzhou hubu hill
2. xuzhou xima terrace
3. xuzhou huilongwo

East to Xinyi county, about 2 hours by road — Guanwan has stood by the canal for 1,300-plus years, its sweet soy sauce and mung-bean liquor still made in shopfront workshops. Last buses and trains return to Xuzhou through the evening.

1. xuzhou guanwan ancient town