Why Gaochun, Nanjing Is Worth a Visit
In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, sediment deposits have created a fertile land—the Yangtze River Delta. It generates nearly a quarter of China's economic output and is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, where every city is advancing at a breathtaking pace.
Yet within it, one place stands out as particularly special, seemingly reflecting our inner longing—because here, life can be unhurried.
This is Gaochun, Nanjing, a "Slow City."
As the "water train" swiftly glides across the sky mirror, Gaochun will unfold before you.
You will see shimmering waves and interlaced fields floating above the water.
You will hear the wind rustling through the trees and birds singing in the hills, stretching across the rolling landscape.
You will feel the overlapping of historical memories and the present, steeped in the passage of time.
Amid today's thriving economy and the competitive urban clusters of the Yangtze River Delta, Gaochun chooses to embrace "slowness," becoming a hidden utopia—a retreat from the world.
A Slow City is a new development model that seeks to blend modern technology with traditional lifestyles. The Slow City movement has become a global phenomenon, and Gaochun, Nanjing, is China's first region to join the "International Slow Cities" network. Below is Lüjia Village in Yaodang, Gaochun.
Choosing "slowness" to define Gaochun today—where does its unhurried confidence come from?
Gaochun is slow by nature's gift, allowing one to wander through picturesque landscapes.
From above, Gaochun lies on the southern bank of the lower Yangtze, with gentle terrain blending plains, hills, rivers, and lakes.
Please turn your screen horizontally to view the terrain of northeastern Gaochun.
Tens of thousands of years ago, this was a vast lake—the ancient Danyang Lake. The Yangtze's rushing waters carried sediment that gradually filled the basin, turning the great lake into scattered smaller ones, giving rise to Shijiu Lake and Gucheng Lake.
Please turn your screen horizontally to view the scenery of Gucheng Lake. Ancient Danyang was a large lake in the lower Yangtze, about 1.7 times the size of today's Taihu Lake. Due to sediment from the upper Yangtze, the lake basin gradually silted up and fragmented into smaller lakes 3,000 years ago.
Western Gaochun is a lake plain formed by sediment deposits. A waterway connecting the Yangtze and Taihu runs east-west, flanked by lakes to the north and south, creating a dense network of rivers across the plain.
East of the lakes, the foothills of Maoshan and Tianmu Mountains converge, shaping a landscape of low hills, with peaks like Jingshan, Dayou Mountain, Xiaoyou Mountain, and Dahua Mountain stretching continuously.
Please turn your screen horizontally to view Dayou Mountain and Xiaoyou Mountain.
Hills just over a hundred meters tall dot the gentle land, forming Gaochun's eastern terrain where plains meet hills.
With distinct seasons, ample sunlight, and moist air from rivers and lakes, breezes often bring lingering mist during autumn and winter.
The collision of mist-veiled bell chimes with mountains and waters creates a dreamlike landscape.
Tea gardens shrouded in fog, with Dayou Mountain in the distance.
This is the "sail amid clouds" praised by literati in their verses.
The vast, misty lake inspired Li Bai to drift here and sigh, "The lake merges with the primal ether, its waves boundless and unstoppable."
Amidst the emerald peaks, Fan Chengda paused during his visit to Gaochun, leaving the praise: "Rain returns to ridge-tops where clouds gather like ink; sunlight pierces mid-slopes, gilding the stones."
The verse is from Fan Chengda's "On the Road to Gaochun." Below is Youzi Mountain.
Gaochun offers not only the tranquility of natural landscapes but also a unique culture shaped by its expansive rivers, lakes, and mountains.
Gaochun thrives through cultural accumulation. Its waters and mountains nurture life and civilization, leaving enduring historical imprints.
As early as 6,000 years ago, our ancestors gathered here. Farming tools, vessels, jade ornaments, and bronze ritual objects bear witness to millennia of evolution from "slash-and-burn" to "ritual and music taking form."
During the Spring and Autumn period, the rivalry between Wu and Chu spurred urban development here. The Wu Kingdom first built a city, establishing Laizhu Settlement, and later reclaimed land from Gucheng Lake's west shore, constructing the "Xiangguo Polder" for military supplies.
This is Jiangsu's oldest surviving polder. Centuries of maintenance have fortified its embankments, enduring floods for over 2,500 years—earning it the name "Iron Xiangguo Polder."
Gaochun's polders. Also called "enclosed fields," these involve diking shallow marshes or silted riverbanks to keep water out—a common ancient farming method.
The silt-clogged channel linking Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River was cleared under Wu minister Wu Zixu's direction, reopening the ancient Zhongjiang waterway for smooth passage.
Navigable waters allowed Gaochun to connect westward to the Yangtze (reaching Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Hubei) and eastward to Taihu Lake and the Qiantang River (accessing Suzhou, Changzhou, Zhejiang, and Fujian).
Xu River, or Xuxi River, named after Wu Zixu, remains a vital waterway in Gaochun today.
Positioned at the "head of Wu, tail of Chu," this was a political frontline. Tempered by time, it also became divinely blessed green hills and blue waters.
Legend says Sun Quan built a pagoda by Gucheng Lake for his mother's birthday prayers. Time passed, but Baosheng Pagoda still stands tall—where "birds sing amid temple chimes; clouds nestle in ivy and vines."
The verse is from Chen Sanjie's "Longhua Temple."
Below is Baosheng Pagoda, rebuilt in the Song dynasty and later restored, retaining much of its original Song architecture.
By the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Yuquan Temple rose amidst wooded springs and undulating peaks—admired for its "five-tiger" mountain silhouette or the elegance of "bamboo whispers and birdsong."
To this day, in front of the ancient temple weathered by time, one can still hear the lingering echoes of "jade chimes and golden bells ringing in the Buddhist land, springs and breezes locking the Zen gate."
The millennia-old传承 of religious faith is not only reflected in the continuous incense around the lakeside mountains and forests but also in the timeworn alleys and small street-side shrines where people devoutly worship deities.
The solemnity of honoring the gods has given rise to a rich variety of folk rituals related to worship.
There are over ten temple fairs, such as the Cishan Temple Fair and the Jiangfu Bodhisattva Temple Fair, and more than thirty recreational activities like Dongba Horse Lantern, Tiao Wuchang, and Xuecheng Flower Terrace Festival. Including deity-related festivals like New Year, Dragon Boat Festival, and Start of Summer, there are at least sixty traditional表演 activities.
It is not just a place for worshiping gods but also a thriving hub of life that comforts the masses.
During the Ming Dynasty, taking advantage of便利的航运, boats shuttled back and forth on the water, and Gaochun gradually became a hub of water transport, with merchants gathering along the river streets. The markets featured not only local土布 and feather fans but also tea and tung oil from Anhui, as well as dyed cloth and silk from Jiangsu.
Today, Gaochun Old Street retains the characteristics of Ming and Qing commercial streets: narrow storefronts but exceptionally deep courtyards, extending up to 70-80 meters. The front opens to the street for business, the middle serves as living quarters, and the rear by the river stores goods.
The influx of people accompanying the exchange of goods also fostered cultural融合, creating Gaochun's unique charm.
Wandering through the alleys, the dark roof tiles against white walls curve elegantly along the skyline. Proximity to Anhui blends architectural styles from Jiangsu and Anhui—light, upturned eaves typical of江南 and the small horse-head walls of徽派风格.
The opera stage in the Wu Clan Ancestral Hall, which served as the headquarters of the New Fourth Army's First Detachment.
On stage, one can see graceful dances like Tiao Huabo and Cai Hongling, as well as vigorous performances blending Central Plains boldness and martial arts, such as "Da Shuihu" and "Die Luohan," or the古朴 Gaochun Gaoqiang, sung in the ancient, soft local dialect.
Gaochun dialect, ranked first among Jiangsu's "Top Ten Hardest Dialects," is challenging not only due to influences from Wu and Jianghuai Mandarin but also because it retains features of ancient Chinese, like a "living fossil of archaic方言."
The murmurs of ancient language on the opera stage still convey "fame and wealth are fleeting, while joys and sorrows are eternal." The performances are戏剧, yet they blend into the悠悠时光 of modern life.
Walking on Gaochun's stone-paved alleys, you’ll find time lingering here—continuous and vibrant. Temples,民居, opera, and language serve as bridges between past and present, weaving together Gaochun's living world.
In the mountains, by the lakes, along the streets, and near the bridges, a thousand years seem to overlap and凝固, yet they also fall gently, permeating today's world.
Gaochun's slowness is not merely contentment with nature's gifts or immersion in ancestral heritage but a choice to融合 nature and history, coexisting with the present.
Behind Gaochun's pursuit of "slowness" today lies a comprehensive upgrade—from mountains to rivers, from traditional agriculture to handicrafts, and then to manufacturing.
In the eastern mountainous areas, sluices were built, along with reservoirs and irrigation systems, addressing droughts and floods caused by uneven water distribution between hills and plains, making Gaochun one of China's top ten counties in水利经济.
The once water-scarce hilly regions are now连绵 tea fields, vast and fragrant.
On the western plains, the 2,000-year-old tradition of围湖耕作 has been inherited more scientifically today.
Strengthening embankments for flood control, merging polder fields to improve water networks, implementing lake restoration from polders, and adopting crop rotation and fallow systems, Gaochun has also established a national-level modern agricultural park.
The construction of flood-control embankments and hydraulic projects has created a favorable aquatic environment, enabling Gaochun residents to leverage these advantages for aquaculture. Today, Gucheng Lake crabs are renowned far and wide.
Meanwhile, leveraging its geographical advantages, the ceramic manufacturing industry is also thriving.
Ceramic products, made from raw materials such as Xiushan clay, jasper clay, and purple clay, have evolved from coarse daily-use pottery to mid-to-high-end products. Today, they are even used as state banquet porcelain, earning Gaochun the title of "China's Contemporary Imperial Kiln."
Today, Gaochun retains 70% of its land as ecological conservation areas, recognized as a "National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration Zone" and a "National Advantageous Zone for Characteristic Agricultural Products."
More remarkably, within the 30% designated for eco-economic development, modern industries such as high-end equipment manufacturing, biomedicine and medical devices, and energy-saving new materials are flourishing.
Gaochun, where cultural heritage and pristine ecology coexist, continues to enhance attractions like Yaxi International Slow City, Youzi Mountain Scenic Area, Gucheng Lake Water Slow City, and Chunqing Ecological Tea Garden, attracting more visitors to experience its "slow living" charm.
In 2020, Gaochun's tourism revenue reached 14.42 billion yuan, making cultural tourism a new pillar industry.
After industrial upgrading and breakthroughs, Gaochun has attracted over 300 projects each worth more than 100 million yuan, propelling its economy to become one of China's "Top 100 Districts in Comprehensive Economic Competitiveness" and "Top 100 Industrial Districts."
Alongside prosperity, its transportation network has expanded relentlessly. Today, Gaochun retains its quaint waterways but is no longer just a "land where boats are indispensable."
Bridges now span rivers and lakes.
Smooth roads connect villages.
Winding highways and urban light rails stretch in all directions.
With the opening of Nanjing Metro Line S9 and interchanges like Ningxuan and Liwu Expressways, Gaochun is just one hour from downtown Nanjing, two hours from Hangzhou, and three hours from Shanghai.
Strengthened by material progress, Gaochun now has the means to reconnect with nature, preserve history, and embrace "slow development."
Today, Gaochun still offers the beauty of changing seasons, where nature's light and shadow, history's depth, and human joy intertwine in the fabric of life.
Winter mountains stretch vast, snow falls over misty cold, echoing with temple bells.
Summer ponds brim with lotuses; a small boat drifts, caressed by leisurely lake breezes.
Autumn haze blurs softly, carriages hushed, listening to birdsong on the wind.
Spring tea fields span miles, emerald veils draped over hills, where travelers now wear new faces.
The landscape is the pristine backdrop of Gaochun, while its historical heritage forms a unique imprint. It is a gift, an accumulation, a legacy, and a transformation. Today, generations of hardworking Gaochun people have built this place into an ideal world in the hearts of many.
Integrated into the times, it is a vibrant corner within the bustling Yangtze River Delta.
Transcending the mundane, it remains a poetic realm where mountains, waters, and time stand still.