Jinjiang (晋江; Tsìn-kang in Minnan, Jìnjiāng in Mandarin) is a mainly industrial city just across the river from Quanzhou in Fujian. Administratively, it is a county-level city in Quanzhou Prefecture, but for practical purposes it can be thought of as a suburb of Quanzhou. Population is about two million.
Get in
By plane
- 1 Quanzhou Jinjiang International Airport (泉州晋江国际机场 JJN IATA). Jinjiang is home to the main airport serving Quanzhou. However, it is a fairly minor airport; there are flights to Hong Kong and some mainland cities and some international flights to other Asian cities, but not a large choice of flights.
The usual way to fly into the region would be via Xiamen or Fuzhou, both of which have larger airports with a broader range of flight choices.
By train
- 2 Jinjiang railway station. Jinjiang is served by Fujian's coastal high-speed railway, with frequent service to points along the Fujian-Xiamen axis. Some trains continue north (to Hangzhou and Shanghai, or to the interior of China), or south (to Shenzhen).
By bus
From Quanzhou, you can make it Jinjiang by a city bus (801 and 802 are two of the numbers), or by taxi.
To get there by bus from Xiamen, take a Quanzhou bus and get off when it passes through Jinjiang.
Get around
Jinjiang shares city bus service with Quanzhou; in particular buses 801 and 802 go out to Jinjiang. However is a long narrow city, spread along a river valley, so half hour bus rides are not unusual even when traffic is light. Taxis are also readily available.
It is a good city for drivers, with lots of good new roads and some shopping areas with parking available. However, see driving in China for comments on traffic conditions.
See
- 1 Cao'an Temple (草庵寺). The world's only surviving Manichean temple is on Huabiao Mountain in Jinjiang.
- 2 Anping Bridge (安平桥) (Between Jinjiang's Anhai Town and the neighboring Shuitou Town.). One of the ancient bridges on the old coastal road. Well restored. Free.
- 3 Jinjiang Museum (晋江博物馆), 382 Shiji Avenue (世纪大道382号) (Bus routes K902, 3, 9, 16, 29, 31, 33, 35, and 45), ☏ 86 595 85681046. 09:00-11:30, 14:30-17:00 (October to May), 09:00-11:30, 15:00-17:30 (June to September), closed on Mondays. Free.
- 4 Wudianshi Traditional Street Blocks (五店市传统街区), Meiyuan Road, Meiling Subdistrict (梅岭街道梅园路) (Bus routes 4, 6, 7, 11, 17, 18, 22, 35, 45), ☏ 86 595 36771558. Open all day. The heart of old Jinjiang, with many well-preserved historical buildings. Entry to the general area is free.
Do
Buy
Jinjiang is very much an industrial city, especially shoes and clothing. Naturally, there are quite a few shops for those items. Nearby Shishi, though, has better clothing markets.
The Filipino chain store SM have only a few locations in China. One is in Jinjiang, at the end of the 801 bus route furthest from Quanzhou. It is part of a very large modern mall.
Eat
While McDonalds and KFC are ubiquitous in China and Pizza Hut fairly common, Burger King has only a few locations so far. Oddly, Jinjiang has one, on the basement floor of the SM city Jinjiang, end of 801 bus route.
Drink
Sleep
- Day's Inn, Quan An Amid Road, Meiling, ☏ 86 595 36787777.