SPOTLIGHT:
THE VOICE OF JINLING
A lesser-known Chinese voice

(This post is an edited version of an article I wrote for "The World of Shortwave Listening" column of The Spectrum Monitor magazine - August 2022 issue. Further details on this excellent publication are available at www.thespectrummonitor.com)

On 6200 kHz is a Chinese outlet not often reported in the pages of DX newsletters. Known as the Voice of Jinling, this broadcaster can often be heard in North America and other parts of the world, operating daily between 1228 and 1505 UTC. The station is located in Nanjing, the capital of the Jiangsu Province in eastern China, on the Yangtze River Delta, about 300 km (185 miles) up the Yangtze River from Shanghai.

I visited Nanjing back in 1987 at a time when China was still emerging from its self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world. A subtropical climate means this inland city faces high humidity and fierce heat in the summer but somewhat milder winters than Beijing to the north.

My visit to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, December 1987.

I remember escaping from an icy grey Beijing December and being transported to the more pleasing Nanjing climate with its lush greenery throughout the city and surrounding mountains. Previously known to the West by its romanized name of Nanking, this city was the old capital of China before Beijing.

In 1987, there were not many cars on the Nanjing roads. But there were billions of bicycles!

As it happened, just twelve months before my Nanjing visit, the Voice of Jinling began broadcasting in November 1986. Like several other stations in the vast network of Chinese broadcasters, the Voice of Jinling aims its shortwave broadcasts at Taiwan.

But rather than just beaming politics and propaganda to that island nation across the strait, the station offers programming that includes a significant nod to culture, art and history. Shows such as “Blue Music Field”, “Jiangsu Broadcasting Ode to Classics”, “the New World of Literature and Art”, “The Bright Moon on the Sea”, and health news features in the program listings. “Easy-listening” Chinese pops are typically heard throughout each service.

The Voice of Jinling’s shortwave outlet operates under the umbrella of the Jiangsu Broadcasting Network, where a range of AM and FM stations service listeners in both Nanjing and the broader Jiangsu Province.

How to hear the Voice of Jinling

The shortwave transmitter is registered as 100 kW. China often has multiple stations using the same shortwave frequencies, which can sometimes make identifying the broadcaster you are listening to rather tricky. In the case of the Jinling outlet on 6200 kHz, this frequency is also used simultaneously by PBS Xizang (a.k.a China National Radio) in the Tibetan language. PBS Xizang occupies the channel for most of the 24 hours (2050-1805 UTC). My friend and colleague in California, Ron Howard, reports that when the Voice of Jinling signs on in Mandarin at 1228 UTC, it is clearly the stronger of the two stations.

A rare QSL from the Voice of Jinling received by
Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA (used with permission).

QSLs from Voice of Jinling are rare. But you could try the following station address:

Editorial Department of Jiangsu Broadcasting

Jinling Voice,

Zhongshan East Road,

Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province,

China.

73 and good DX to you all,

Rob Wagner VK3BVW

Radio stations featured in the Spotlight series

Note: This series covers more than ten years, so the frequencies and times mentioned in some of the articles may be out-of-date. Refer to the latest schedule information for current operating times.

SPOTLIGHT: SICHUAN ETHNIC RADIO

SPOTLIGHT: IFRIKYA FM

SPOTLIGHT: THE VOICE OF JINLING

SPOTLIGHT: TAJIKISTAN ON SHORTWAVE

SPOTLIGHT: TRANS WORLD RADIO AFRICA

SPOTLIGHT: BBC ASCENSION ISLAND RELAY STATION

SPOTLIGHT: JAPAN’S PRIVATE SHORTWAVE STATION

SPOTLIGHT: VOICE OF BEIBU BAY RADIO

SPOTLIGHT: WONDERFUL WOOFFERTON

SPOTLIGHT: RADIO MIRAYA - THE SOUND OF SUDAN! (Sadly, this station no longer operates on shortwave)

SPOTLIGHT: RADIO VANUATU

SPOTLIGHT: KYRGYZSTAN ON SHORTWAVE