He was known for his research into the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s history, notably his book How the Red Sun Rose.

With the support of his uncle, Gao Qifa managed to complete junior high school and later joined the underground CCP.

In 1949, he served as an acting section chief in the Nanjing Military Control Committee.

After the end of the Cultural Revolution, the college entrance examination (gaokao) no longer required information about the family background.

After graduating, he was assigned to work in the Nanjing Cultural Relics Management Bureau and later reentered Nanjing University as a graduate student in the History Department, earning both his master's and doctoral degrees.