Jinzhou

Jinzhou
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Simplified	锦州
- Traditional	錦州
- Pinyin	Jǐnzhōu
Location of Jinzhou in Liaoning
Jinzhou Location within China
Coordinates (city(3000000)): 41°06′N 121°08′E / 41.1°N 121.133°E / 41.1; 121.133
Country	China
Province	Liaoning
Districts and Counties	List Taihe District Guta District Beizhen City Yi County
Government
- CPC Jinzhou	Committee Secretary
- Mayor	Liu Zhiqiang (刘志强)
Area
- Prefecture-level city	10,111 km2 (3,903.9 sq mi)
Population [1]
- Prefecture-level city	3,000,000
- Urban	770,000
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	416
Website	http://www.jz.gov.cn

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Jinzhou (simplified Chinese: 锦州; traditional Chinese: 錦州; pinyin: Jǐnzhōu), is a prefecture-level city of Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city in the "Liaoxi Corridor" (辽西走廊), which connects the land transportation between North China and Northeast China. Jinzhou is China's Northernmost seaport and the coastal economic center of West Liaoning on the northwestern shore of the Bohai Sea. Jinzhou's jurisdiction is 10,301 km², 440 km² is rural. Its coastline is 97.7 km. Population: 3,000,000 of which 770,000 is urban.

Administration

Jinzhou has eight immediate sub-municipal divisions:

• Guta District (simplified Chinese: 古塔区; pinyin: Gǔtǎ Qū)
• Taihe District (simplified Chinese: 太和区; pinyin: Tàihé Qū)
• Linghe District (simplified Chinese: 凌河区; pinyin: Línghé Qū)
• Linghai (simplified Chinese: 凌海市; pinyin: Línghǎi Shì)
• Beizhen (simplified Chinese: 北镇市; pinyin: Běizhèn Shì)
• Yi County (simplified Chinese: 义县; pinyin: Yì Xiàn)
• Heishan County (simplified Chinese: 黑山县; pinyin: Gǔtǎ Qū)
• Jinzhou Economic and Technical Development Zone (simplified Chinese: 锦州经济技术开发区)

The above eight are subdivided into 43 towns (镇), 69 rural towns (乡), and 1680 villages.

History

Jinzhou is an ancient city with more than a thousand years of history. Originally known as Tuhe (徒河), it became part of the Yan (燕) in the Warring States period (战国时代); the Qin (秦) unified six states and the majority of what is now Jinzhou became part of Liaodong township. It was part of Changli township in Youzhou in the Han Dynasty (汉) and Three Kingdoms (三国) periods, but fell under the jurisdiction of Yingzhou during the Beiwei, Dongwei and Beiqi periods, before becoming part of Liucheng township and then Yan township during the Sui (隋)and Tang (唐) eras. During the Tang dynasty, it became the seat of the Andong township government.

The name 'Jinzhou' came into use in the Liao dynasty (辽), when it belonged to Zhongjing prefecture. In the Jin dynasty (金), it belonged to Dongjing township and Beijing township. It belonged to Liaoyang Xingzhongshu ministry in the Yuan dynasty (元) and to Liaodong township in the Ming dynasty (明), and was ruled by Tianfu during the Qing dynasty (清), when its name was changed from Jinzhou to Jinxian. During the Republican period, Jinzhou fell under the jurisdiction of Liaoning Province. After the establishment of the "New China", Liaoxi Province was founded and Jinzhou became the provincial capital. Jinzhou then came back under the jurisdiction of Liaoning Province in 1954, when Liaoxi and Liaodong provinces merged.

Geography and geology

Jinzhou is located in a mid-latitude temperate zone with a monsoon climate, which experiences a relatively large variation in temperature over the course of a year. The annual average temperature is around 9°C and the annual average rainfall is between 540 and 640 mm. It experiences four distinct seasons, each with their own characteristics; its monsoon climate is pronounced and exhibits strong continentality. The geographic and natural climatic conditions of Jinzhou are conducive to the development of such industries as agriculture, forestry, livestock and marine produce.

Fossil-bearing rocks are exposed in the city's vicinity. A genus of Early Cretaceous birds has been named Jinzhouornis in honor of the locality, but it appears to be a junior synonym of Confuciusornis which was found in the same formation some years earlier.

Economy

Jinzhou has a wide range of industries. Major traditional industries include petrochemistry, metallurgy, textiles, pharmacy and building materials.

Jinzhou Economic and Technical Development Zone  : The Jinzhou Economic and Technical Development Zone was established in 1992. It is among the first province-level development zones approved by Liaoning Province. The development zone enjoys convenient transportation with easy access to Jinzhou Seaport, Jinzhou airport and several state highways.

Shopping and Services : Within the city, some western franchises have set up shop, most notably KFC, which has a long established foothold in Chinese markets. RT-Mart, New-Mart and Do-Do Express are major food and sundries retailers. Bank of Jinzhou (Jinzhou Yinhang) is the only bank in Jinzhou upon this writing with native English speaking staff. You will find a Western Union, Bank of China and many other banking service locations in the city. Visa and MasterCard are not accepted in Jinzhou, aside from a few large bank branches with access to the networks.

Photograph of a shopping mall in Jinzhou city.

Transport

Jinzhou Airport provides air transport to major airports in China. There are two railway stations in the city, one designated for long trips and one for shorter routes. The most popular way to get around Jinzhou is on foot or by bicycle. Taxis crowd the streets and start at 5 RMB per trip. Bus routes also blanket the city and provide the most economical means of transportation. They are not always reliable.

Major Tourist Sites

"Liaoshen Campaign Memorial" (辽沈战役纪念馆): The Liaoshen Campaign Memorial is a large museum that holds and displays over 16,000 pieces of equipment used during the campaign, including rifles, machine guns, mortars, cannons, and tanks. It also holds thousands of pictures and documents. The most famous location inside the museum is the Panoramic Picture Hall, which reproduces on a rotating circular screen, the complete Battle of Jinzhou.

"Yiwulü Mountain" (医巫闾山): Located in the west of Beizhen City of Jinzhou, it is one of the 3 famous mountains in Northeast China. Wanghai Mountain is the main peak, with a height of 867 meters above the sea level. Main tourist spots are Beizhen Temple, Shenshui Bridge, Fish Pool, Guanyin Pavilion, Sijiao Pavilion, Kuangguang Pavilion, Lotus Stone, Cloud Pass, Wanghai Temple, etc.

"Mount Bijia" (笔架山): This is an interesting island in the Bohai Sea south of Jinzhou's coastline. During most time of the day, Mt. Bijiashan can only be accessed by boat. But when the sea recedes, a natural zigzagging cobblestone bridge will emerge from the Bohai Sea and connect Mt. Bijiashan to the mainland. People can walk to Mt. Bijianshan from the seafront on foot. Local people named this natural wonder "Tian Qiao", which means sky bridge. On the top of Mt. Bijiashan, there is a tall stone pavilion. It looks like a gigantic pen resting on a pen holder. Hence the name "Bijianshan", meaning the "Pen Holder Mountain".

Photograph of Mount Bijia at high tide.

"Guangji Pagoda" (广济寺塔 ): The Guangji Pagoda is located in the southeast corner of the city. The 72 metre tower is beautiful Liao style architecture, with thirteen levels in an octagonal shape. A quiet temple beneath completes the ancient Chinese setting. Visitors will see locals gather for early morning rituals, exercise and various other activities. There is no fee for admission to the temple grounds.

Culture

One of the non-fiction best selling novels during the 1990s, "Wild Swans:Three Daughters of China", provides some detailed descriptions of Jinzhou before and after the "1949 Liberation of China".

Famous Citizens

• Wang Lijun, municipal police chief. His dependability became known to Bo Xilai during his stint as Liaoning governor from 2000 to 2004. When Bo was promoted to secretary (of the Chongqing unemprovinced municipality) in 2008 and found the huge corruption-pyramid fostered under Wang Yang (whose secretaryship had been moved to Guangdong), he called on Wang Lijun to take over this new municipal police force and use what he could of it to execute a crackdown, which led to the 2009 Chongqing Triad scandal.^[2]

Colleges and Universities

• Liaoning Institute of Technology 辽宁工学院 [1]
• Bohai University 渤海大学 [2]
• Jinzhou Medical University 锦州医学院 [3]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jinzhou

• Jinzhou Municipal Government 锦州人民政府

v • d • e Liaoning Province History • Politics • Economy Sub-provincial cities Dalian • Shenyang Prefecture-level cities Anshan • Benxi • Chaoyang • Dandong • Fushun • Fuxin • Huludao • Jinzhou • Liaoyang • Panjin • Tieling • Yingkou See also: List of Liaoning County-level divisions

v • d • e Yellow River Delta and Bohai Sea Region Hebei Province Qinhuangdao • Tangshan Liaoning Province Dalian (Lüshun) • Huludao • Jinzhou • Yingkou Shandong Province Longkou • Weihai • Yantai Tianjin Tianjin (Hangu, Tanggu)

Coordinates: 39°06′N 121°42′E / 39.1°N 121.7°E / 39.1; 121.7