Jinzhou (Liaoning)

China's “Barbecue Capital,” where a sea bridge appears at Bijia Mountain at low tide, with the Liaoshen Campaign Memorial, the Liao-dynasty hall of Fengguo Temple in Yixian, and the many historic sites of Mount Yiwulü in Beizhen.

Jinzhou lies in southwestern Liaoning at the eastern end of the Liaoxi Corridor, bordered by Jinzhou Bay of the Bohai Sea to the south and Mount Yiwulü to the north. A key gateway between China proper and the Northeast, it was the main battlefield of the assault on Jinzhou during the 1948 Liaoshen Campaign. Sightseeing falls into three areas. In the city are the Liaoshen Campaign Memorial, the Water Tower Battle Site, Ancient Pagoda Park (Guangji Temple Pagoda and the Jinzhou Museum) and Mount Beiputuo. On the southern coast is Bijia Mountain, where at low tide a pebbly “sky bridge” about 1.6 km long emerges so you can walk out to the island; the Jinzhou World Landscape Art Exposition Park is nearby. In the north, Yixian County has the Liao-dynasty wooden Mahavira Hall of Fengguo Temple, the Northern Wei Wanfotang Grottoes and the Jehol Biota Fossil Museum, while Beizhen (historically Guangning) has Mount Yiwulü, Beizhen Temple, the Twin Pagodas of Chongxing Temple, and an old town with a drum tower and the Li Chengliang Stone Archway. Jinzhou barbecue is famous: small skewers, grilled chicken racks and barbecue joints of every kind fill the city, and a barbecue dinner is a must. The best season is Jun–Sep for the seaside; in autumn, late September to October brings the best red leaves on Mount Yiwulü; winters are cold and dry. Getting there: Jinzhou South Station is on the Beijing–Harbin high-speed railway, about 2.5 hours from Beijing and about 1.5 hours from Shenyang, and Jinzhou Bay Airport has domestic flights. Allow 2–3 days: one for the city and Bijia Mountain (plan around the tide tables), one for Beizhen and one for Yixian. Always check the tide times before walking the Bijia Mountain sky bridge.

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