Jinzhou

Jinzhou (锦州; Jǐnzhōu) is a city in Liaoning Province.

Not to be confused with Jinzhou District (金州区) in Dalian.

Understand

An industrial city on the western shores of Liaoning Gulf, Jinzhou is visited mainly for its storehouse of Jurassic period fossils.

Get in

Take either the three-hour express train from Beijing or the six-hour regular train. A car drive is also six hours from Beijing via the eastbound Jingshen Expressway. From Shenyang, a bus ride takes three hours via the westbound Jingshen Expressway.

Get around

See

• Wenya Museum (文雅博物馆; Wényǎbówùguǎn). Set up by the amateur collector Du Wenya, this museum houses an impressive collection of fossils found in the local region, some fossils having been found nowhere else. 
• Bijia Mountain (笔架山; Bǐjiàshān) (30 min S of Jinzhou). Connects to the mainland via an isthmus at low tide and is more of a big hill than a mountain. There are numerous small Buddha temples on the hill and vendors selling various souvenirs and snacks. Is well worth the trip. If you have the time, take a boat out to the hill, walk around for several hours visiting the temples, and then walk on the land bridge back to shore when low tide comes. 
• Guta Park (古塔公园; Gǔtǎgōngyuán). A quiet park in the south eastern part of the city featuring the Guangji Pagoda. The 72 m (236 ft) tower is a beautiful Liao style pagoda, with thirteen levels in an octagonal shape. 

Do

Buy

Eat

Drink

Sleep

Go next

Just over 100 km from Jinzhou lies another city known for its fossil discoveries, Chaoyang. Shenyang, the provincial capital, is 225 km away, while further to the south, Dalian rests 380km from Jinzhou.

Routes through Jinzhou

Beijing ← Shanhaiguan ←

W  E

→ Tieling → Harbin