Established in 1958 as the Jiangsu Provincial Medical School, Xuzhou Medical College was the Xuzhou branch of the Nanjing Medical College. In 1959, Xinhailian Academy was merged into the university. In 1960 the school was official changed to the Xuzhou Medical College. In 2000, Xuzhou Health School was merged into the college effectively becoming a comprehensive medical universityXuzhou is situated in the Northern China Plain, almost in the middle between Beijing and Shanghai, about 600 km to each of the two metropolises, and about 300 km to the provincial capital, Nanjing.
About 10% of its land is hilly area occupying the middle and eastern portions of the city, with the highest point 361 m, the summit of Dadong Hill. Thevcity's elevation is gradually reduced from its middle and east to the west and south, with 30-50 m in average over the sea level.
The city has abundant water resource, with more than 213 rivers flowing within its boundary, including the Grand Canal. In its jurisdiction, there are two major lakes, Lake Luoma and Lake Weishan, plus 91 artificial reservoirs. Another important natural resource is coal, with a production of 2.5 million tones annually.
