[3] He made his debut for the club on 26 March 2014 in a 2–1 lost against Yokohama FC, becoming the youngest footballer ever to play for Kataller Toyama at 18-years old.

[8] In February 2017, Gao permanently transferred to the club after rejecting an offer from Romania Liga I side, CFR Cluj.

[11] Throughout the season he would go on to establish himself as a vital member within the team and go on to win the 2019 Chinese Super League title with the club.

[16] On 20 February, he scored his first goal for Shandong in a 4-2 away win against Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale in the second leg of 2023–24 AFC Champions League Round of 16, which saw the team qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time in 8 years.

Gao made his debut for the Chinese national team on 10 January 2017 in a 2–0 loss against Iceland during the 2017 China Cup.