Some 188 kilometers north of the capital city of Jiangsu Province -- Nanjing and 135 kilometers northeast of Lianyungang, Huai'an City lies in the hinterland of north Jiangsu. With Yancheng City to its south, Anhui Province to its west and its southwest, Lianyungang City, Xuzhou City and the newly established Suqian City to its north, Huai'an is reputed as the No.1 City of Southeast China.

Huai'an lies to the west of the ancient Huaihe River. The whole area of the city belongs to the conjunctive area of the Huanghuai Plain and the Jianghui Plain. With the Wandong Hills standing in its southwest and the Hongze Lake located within its territory, Huai'an sees the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal running through it.

Huai'an is the cradle of famous persons. It is the hometown of Premier Zhou Enlai, the militarist Han Xin, Han Dynasty poet Mei Cheng, the female hero Liang Hongyu, the author of the Pilgrim to the West Wu Cheng'en, the patriotic general Guan Tianpei, the author Travels of Lao Ts'an Liu E. There are many historic sites, such as the former residences, the memorial hall of Zhou Enlai, Laozi Mountain, the Mausoleums of Zhu Yuanzhang, his father and his grandfather in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Huai'an was proclaimed a national historical and cultural city by the State Council in 1986.