Xuzhou, otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China. It is known for its role as a transportation hub in northwestern Jiangsu, as it has expressways and railway links connecting directly to the provinces of Henan and Shandong, the neighboring port city of Lianyungang, as well as the economic hub Shanghai.Before the adoption of Hanyu Pinyin, the city's name was typically Romanized as Suchow, Süchow, although also appearing as Siu Tcheou [Fou], Hsu-chou, Hsuchow,[citation needed] and Hsüchow.[citation needed]
