Get to know Gaochun District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Nanjing
- Chinese name
- 高淳区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 790.23 km²
- Population · 2015
- 439,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The east of the district is hilly, while the west is flat polder land. Gaochun borders Lishui District (溧水区) to the north, Liyang (溧阳) to the east, and Dangtu (当涂) in Ma'anshan (马鞍山) and Xuanzhou (宣州) and Langxi (郎溪) in Xuancheng (宣城) to the south-west. According to Xinhua Daily, the district organises its tourism in three "slow city" zones: hills in the east, the old town in the middle and the lake-side polders in the west.
History
In 541 BC King Yuji (余祭) of Wu built a walled town about 15 km east of the present centre, called Gucheng (固城) for its strong walls; it lies in today's Gucheng town. Chu, Wu and Yue fought over it, and in 506 BC Wu took the town and Wu Zixu (伍子胥) had its halls burned. Under the Qin it became the seat of Liyang County. Gaochun County was split from Lishui in the Hongzhi reign of the Ming, with its seat at Chunxi (淳溪). It came under Nanjing in 1983 and became a district in February 2013.
What to see
Gaochun Old Street (高淳老街), also called Chunxi Old Street, in the district centre, dates as a market from the Song and is lined with Ming and Qing buildings; it became a national 4A scenic area in 2013. During the 2025 May Day holiday its opera stage put on Yue, Peking and Huangmei opera, and folk parades included the Zhongma lantern-horse formation (中马灯) and the Tiaowuchang (跳五猖) dance. Xinhua Daily links the street with the Sifang Pagoda (四方宝塔), the Xuecheng site (薛城遗址) and several old stages.
A 49 km² eco-tourism area in the hills of north-western Yaxi town (桠溪镇) was named China's first international Cittaslow ("slow city") in July 2010.
Food and local products
Gaochun holds a festival for Gucheng Lake crabs (固城湖螃蟹): Xinhua Daily reported the opening of the 17th China Gaochun Gucheng Lake Crab Festival in 2017, and noted that the Gucheng Lake crab brand is a China well-known trademark.
Highlights
- Gaochun Old Street 高淳老街: Song-era market street with Ming and Qing buildings; national 4A scenic area since 2013.
- Yaxi international slow city 桠溪国际慢城: Hill area in Yaxi town named China's first Cittaslow in 2010.
- Gucheng 固城: Walled town founded by King Yuji of Wu in 541 BC.
- Gucheng Lake crabs 固城湖螃蟹: Lake crabs with their own festival, held for the 17th time in 2017.
Sources for this guide
高淳区 - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
淳溪老街 - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
山慢城+文慢城+水慢城 高淳勾勒全域旅游新版图 · Xinhua Daily (via jschina.com.cn)
“五一”假期，南京市“美丽经济”全域绽放，城乡融合共绘新图景 · Nanjing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Gaochun District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Gaochun District
The entrance archway and market stalls of Gaochun Old Street, Gaochun District, Nanjing · Plan your visit
Getting there
Gaochun District is about 80 km in a straight line from central Nanjing. Search for 高淳区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Start with Gaochun Old Street. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Nanjing →More in Nanjing
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 高淳区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 淳溪老街 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Gaochun Old Street · xiawilliams · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.