Xuchang, city in central China, 80 km (50 mi) south of Zhengzhou in central Henan Province. Xuchang is a center for the tobacco industry with one of the largest cigarette factories in China. In addition to tobacco, local farmers also produce wheat and cotton. The city's industrial products include coal and pharmaceuticals. Xuchang is located on the Beijing-Guangzhou rail line. The city has a number of structures dating from the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), including ruins of walls, a canal, and a bridge. Other archaeological sites and tombs in the city date from the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-265). Xuchang derives its name from the country of Xu, which existed in the area during the Zhou dynasty (1027?-256 BC). Population (1991) 208,815.
