Gao Chengyong, 53, was found to have killed 11 females between May 1988 and February 2002 in Gansu province and neighbouring Inner Mongolia, Xinhua news agency reported.
The court found that he killed the victims to cover up robbery or rape. Gao confessed in the court and said he would not file an appeal.
Police hunted Gao for 28 years until one of his relatives committed a crime and underwent DNA testing in 2015, which led to his arrest in August 2016.
