A Nanjing Local’s View of Nanjing: A Stroll Through Gaochun Old Street

Walking route: Gaochun Slow City Park – Gaochun Old Street. Way of travel: Group tour. Date: September 2022. Address: Chunxi Town, Gaochun District, Nanjing.

In the morning, we visited Slow City’s sunflower fields. The sunflowers weren’t quite as spectacular as we’d imagined, but the lush greenery and leisurely pace of the park made the trip very pleasant. For lunch, we ate at a farmhouse restaurant near the park. The dishes weren’t exactly a feast for the senses, but the pure, rustic flavors left us feeling content. In the afternoon, it was time for Gaochun Old Street. Our bus parked at the Ferry Crossing parking lot.

Crossing Chunxing Road, we arrived at the large square in front of the old street.

The main gate of the old street featured upturned eaves and horse-head walls, typical of Huizhou-style architecture.

Passing through the gate, a long main street stretched out. Though called an old street, it’s actually a sprawling district, an extensive cluster of Ming and Qing dynasty buildings. The area is crisscrossed with lanes, with the main street running east-west in a straight line, over 800 meters long and four to five meters wide. The buildings on both sides are two-story brick and wood structures, with shopfronts facing each other.

The old street buzzed with activity, and the skilled traditional craftsmen drew crowds of visitors.

Even hairpin sellers came up with creative new designs.

The gate wasn’t in the middle of the main street; it was closer to the east end. The eastern section was shorter and less crowded, while the western stretch was longer and packed with shops, so more visitors gathered there. Since we came to enjoy the lively atmosphere, we headed west first to join the buzz.

Beyond the main street, a network of lanes branched out. The original residents still live here, giving the area a genuine, down-to-earth feel.

Looking at the side of the buildings, most shops were three bays wide and extended several rooms deep. The houses featured carved lattice windows, horse-head firewalls, and butterfly-shaped roof tiles—classic Jiangnan elegance blended with Huizhou touches.

Despite the many intersecting lanes, the area didn’t feel cramped. There was a spacious little square, with a paifang (memorial archway) on one side inscribed with ‘Renowned Throughout Jiangnan’.

Gaochun Old Street has plenty to offer, from a variety of shops to several points of interest. Some sights are on the main street, others on side alleys, all marked with signs. If you have time, you could explore them one by one. But we were on a group tour with limited time, so we simply strolled down the main street, taking things as they came. In the middle section stands the Wu Family Ancestral Hall, a three-bay building dating from the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty. In 1938, Chen Yi led the New Fourth Army’s First Detachment eastward to fight the Japanese and set up his headquarters here, so it now serves as the former command post of the First Detachment, open to visitors.

Through the entrance, a sunny courtyard greeted us. The ancestral hall has three courtyards, each one separated by small open spaces and light wells.

The brick-and-wood structure is in Anhui style. Mottled moss on the white walls tells of age. The trees in the courtyard were tall and ancient.

The hall faces Guanxi River and backs onto the old street. As it has three successive courtyards, entering from the main street actually brought us into the third courtyard—the sacrificial hall, now used as an exhibition space.

Photos, panels, and texts explain how, during the Anti-Japanese War, Commander Chen Yi led the New Fourth Army’s First Detachment eastward in June 1938, passing through Gaochun and establishing the detachment’s headquarters here.

During his stay in Gaochun, Commander Chen carried out extensive work for the anti-Japanese united front and wrote the magnificent poem ‘First Arrival in Gaochun on the Eastern Expedition’.

Leaving the exhibition hall, we came to another small courtyard with two towering osmanthus trees.

It was the first time I’d seen osmanthus trees so tall. I tried hard to capture their full height in a photo, but it was impossible.

On this side of the light well was the second courtyard—the assembly hall, with front and rear verandas, an open hall design, small tile roofing, and horse-head walls.

The assembly hall felt spacious and lofty, with nanmu wood pillars and cypress beams, exuding a solemn, weighty presence.

Moving on, we reached the first courtyard—the opera stage, where wooden carvings of dragons, phoenixes, lions, and folk tales were vividly rendered, showcasing the grandeur of a distinguished family.

In a side courtyard, there was a pond.

A pair of imposing stone lions guarded the entrance, a clear sign this was no ordinary place. It turned out to be the Guandi Temple, built in the second year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming dynasty (1489 AD), dedicated to loyal warriors through the ages such as Zhang Fei, Li Jing, and Qi Jiguang.

The old street brims with cultural flavor. This Qing-dynasty building now houses an art gallery.

Gaochun Baishi Calligraphy and Painting Academy.

A bookshop on the old street, with a very straightforward name.

Its facade, door lintel, and plaque all exuded an antique charm.

Stepping inside, I realized it was much more than a bookshop—it was a tasteful, arty retreat with a hip vibe. The long, narrow space extended through almost three bays, offering coffee, pastries, and tea, each tempting you to sit and stay a while.

On the left, a raised platform with a few chairs offered a place to rest, while the wall was lined with tea-related items.

On the right, a slender display cabinet showcased old objects from Gaochun.

The shop walls were adorned with exquisite stone carvings.

The bookshop also had a second floor, accessible by a staircase around the corner.

Visitors left heartfelt messages here, perhaps for someone else, or maybe just for themselves.

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves helped divide the space. A few steps further and through a doorway...

...we stepped outside into a hidden paradise—a courtyard lush with greenery. Sitting here in the sun, sipping the shop’s coffee and nibbling on pastries, was pure, leisurely bliss.

Heading west, the old street grew livelier, with more shops and tourists. Many of these sold food: restaurants, snacks, and all kinds of local delicacies.

Autumn is crab season, and on the old street by the Gucheng Lake, crabs were everywhere. Every restaurant not only served crab dishes but also sold the crabs directly.

The season also brought lotus seed pods alongside the crabs.

I noticed many shops displaying pomegranates in the same way—could pomegranates also be a Gaochun specialty? The pomegranates here were huge, with plump, juicy seeds and bright color; they looked incredibly tempting. I ordered a glass of pure pomegranate juice, pressed with no added water. The first sip blew me away—wow, I’d never tasted anything like that, a sweetness that went straight to my heart.

Branching off from the main street was a north-south food street. Not being a huge foodie, I just peeked in from the alley entrance.

This shop sold Gaochun specialties.

Caught up in the lively atmosphere, I soon found myself at the far west end, where a tall archway marked the boundary between the old street and the modern city beyond.

With some time left before our bus departure, we turned back along the main street and strolled toward the eastern end. Past the gatehouse, the east side was suddenly much quieter. With fewer crowds, I could really take in the history of the street. The old street still has 314 shops, most dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. They are all two-story brick-and-wood structures with wooden plank doors, typically with the shop in front and living quarters behind.

The street was paved entirely with bluestone and rouge stone. In the middle, pinkish rouge stones were laid transversely, their uneven surfaces adding an antique charm. On either side, gray limestone slabs ran lengthwise. The whole street looked vibrant and tidy, having withstood eight centuries of wind, rain, foot traffic, and cart wheels while remaining sturdy. The shops lining both sides were old buildings with white walls and black tiles.

A cute little creature minding the shop.

I spent about an hour walking the main street from west to east. If I’d had more time, wandering through the small lanes and alleys to soak up the authentic local life not geared toward tourists would have been even more interesting.

This might be the start of something new for me—my first time joining a ‘senior group’ on a slow-paced, marketing-oriented trip. For now, I’ll just enjoy the journey without overthinking it.