Two novel coordination polymers with helical chains, {[Zn(L)(H2O)].H2O}(n) (1) and {[Zn(L)(p-bix)].3.5H(2)O}(n) (2), where H2L = 5-(4-hydroxypyridinium-1-ylmethyl) isophthalic acid and p-bix = 1,4-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl) benzene, have been hydrothermally synthesized, and charac-terized by elemental analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), IR, thermal gravimetric analyses (TGA) and also by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Both complexes 1 and 2 crystallize in monoclinic, space group P2(1)/c. Compound 1 displays a two-dimensional (2D) structure with two distinct types of helical chains; 2 shows a layered coordination polymer with two types of helical chains and features an interesting 2D -> 3D interdigitated architecture. Meanwhile, the luminescent properties of 1 and 2 have also been investigated in detail.