Floods in Xuzhou's history
Xuzhou sits by the Yellow River and has suffered floods for centuries. From the Han dynasty until 1855, when the river finally moved away, the city was flooded more than 400 times.
Major floods in Xuzhou’s history:
- 132 BC: The earliest recorded flood. A dam near Hu Zi burst, flooding 16 cities around the river’s after-bay.
- The river then shifted toward Xuzhou, causing floods for about 24 years. Emperor Han Wudi wrote the Huzi Ge to express sorrow for the flood victims.
- 1077 AD (Song dynasty): The river broke into Tanzhou. Water reached the city walls, but Su Shi helped reinforce the dam, and the city stayed safe with no casualties.
- Ming dynasty floods were the most severe. In the 5th year of Longqing, the river broke into the city from the west gate, destroying thousands of houses and killing many people.
- 1590 (Wanli era): Autumn rains caused another big flood; houses were submerged for two years. The central government did not approve moving the city.
- 1624 (Tianqi era): The worst flood of Xuzhou’s history. It hit at midnight, the southeast wall collapsed, and water rose very high. People fled to Mount Yunlong. The Yellow River deposited meters of sand, burying the city. The government again refused relocation, so people rebuilt the city on top of the buried remains. Much land and property were lost.
- In 1855, the Yellow River changed course and no longer passed Xuzhou. The old riverbed became famous as Abandoned Yellow River Park, with five stone posts recording the flood history (Shui Jing Shi Zhu Ji).
- From the 1950s onward, parts of the buried city were found. Excavations over the next 50 years revealed the old city underground, which is important for understanding Xuzhou’s origin and growth.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:31 (CET).