Gu was considered a highly talented young player and joined top tier Chinese Jia League side Guangdong provincial team by the 1976 league season. He soon went on to play for the Chinese National Junior Team before Gu went on to see his club win the Chinese league title at the end of the 1979 league season before being called up to the Chinese national team for the first time. With the national team he went on to be in the squads that took part in the 1980 and 1984 AFC Asian Cup third placed team, while also participating in the 1982 and the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifications.