Ning began his football career when he joined Qingdao Jonoon's youth academy at the age of 11. He made his debut for the club during the 2004 season against Inter Shanghai on 16 May 2004, scoring a goal in a 2-2 draw. During the 2005 season, he was the team's top league scorer with six goals. During the 2006 season, he was again the club's top scorer with seven goals, including a hat-trick against Chongqing Lifan. During the 2009 season, Jiang's performances for Qingdao saw him receive interest from Russian Premier League side Spartak Moscow. On 20 July 2009, he would have a trial with Spartak Moscow, however the proposed transfer fell through after Spartak Moscow couldn't agree upon the 1,000,000 euro transfer fee which was requested by Qingdao. On 20 May 2010, Jiang suffered damage to his anterior cruciate ligament in a friendly match against Bayer Leverkusen while he was with the national team.