Jinzhou

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

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.

• 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. 
• 🌍 Liaoshen Campaign Memorial (辽沈战役纪念馆), No. 1 Section 5, Beijing Road, Linghe District (凌河区北京路5段1号) (bus nos. 10, 111, 202, 207, 211, 214, 222, 224 and the inner circle bus (环路内环)), ☏ +86 416 3839788, lszyjngwz@lszyjng.com. 09:00-12:00, 13:00-15:00. Dedicated to the Liaoshen Campaign, the first of three major offensive operations launched by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) against Kuomintang positions in eastern China during the late stage of the Chinese Civil War. The campaign is considered one of the most important turning points in the war as it resulted in the PLA gaining numerical superiority over the Kuomingtang army for the first time since the war began. Free. (updated Jan 2021)
• 🌍 Fengguo Temple (奉国寺), 18 East Street, Yi County (义县东街18号) (get a bus to Yi County from Jinzhou Bus Station, then walk or get a taxi; the temple is just 1km north of the Yi County Bus Station), ☏ +86 416 7721535, 13554245@qq.com. 08:30-16:00 (November to March), 08:00-16:30 (April to October), no tickets sold in last 30 minutes. A Buddhist temple dating from the Liao Dynasty. The temple's main hall is one of the oldest and best-preserved ancient wooden structures in China. ¥50. (updated Mar 2022)
• 🌍 Sino-German Paleontological Museum (中德古生物博物馆), Hejiaxin Village, Toutai Town, Yi County (义县头台镇河夹心村) (get a bus to Yi County from Jinzhou Bus Station, then get a taxi from there; the museum is on the G305 Highway and about 16km west of the Yi County Bus Station), ☏ +86 416 7575341. 08:30-16:30 (April to October), 09:30-15:30 (November to March), no entry in last 30 minutes, closed every Monday and during Chinese New Year. Established in 2008 by a German fossil collector in collaboration with the government of Yi County. The museum is at the site where a dinosaur species known as bolong yixianensis was first discovered. A large fossil of bolong yixianensis is on display along with other fossils found in the area. Outside the museum is an excavation site and a petrified forest. ¥40. (updated Mar 2022)
• 🌍 Yizhou Fossil Museum (宜州化石馆), 66 Nanguan Street, Yi County (义县南关街66号) (get a bus to Yi County from Jinzhou Bus Station, then walk from there; the museum is only 150 meters from the Yi County Bus Station), ☏ +86 416 7722519. 09:00-16:00, no tickets issued after 15:30. The Yizhou Fossil Museum was the first paleontological museum to be established in Liaoning Province following the discovery of fossils in the region in the 1990s. It is now an official branch of the Geological Museum of China. The museum has about 10,000 fossils in its collection, including around 200 that are considered to be of high value and importance. Free. (updated Mar 2022)

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.