The total area under the jurisdiction of Jinzhou is 9,989 square kilometers (3,857 sq mi), most of which is rural.

When the Chinese Civil War resumed in 1945, Jinzhou was the site of a major battle between the Communist and Nationalist forces, since it is where the main route from Manchuria through Shanhai Pass enters central China.

[4] During the Liaoshen campaign, in which the People's Liberation Army began to consolidate control of Northeast China, refugees tried to escape to the city to flee further south.

The Republic of China Army, under orders from Chiang Kai-shek not to allow refugees to escape the region, shot at them as they tried to cross the Daling River 30 kilometers north of the city.

[5] After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Liaoxi Province was founded and Jinzhou became its provincial capital.

[6] Jinzhou is located in the southwestern portion of Liaoning, and borders Panjin, Anshan, and Shenyang to the east, and Huludao on the west.

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.

Major traditional industries include petrochemistry, metallurgy, textiles, pharmacy and building materials.

Visa and MasterCard are not accepted in Jinzhou, aside from a few large bank branches with access to these networks.

Bus routes also blanket the city and provide the most economical means of transportation, but are not always reliable.

It 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.

The best known exhibit inside the museum is the Panoramic Picture Hall, which reproduces the complete Battle of Jinzhou on a rotating circular screen.

Mount Bijia is an island in the Bohai Sea south of Jinzhou on which is located a Chinese Buddhist temple.