160,000 Visitors Witness the Power of the “Lighting Capital” — Guzhen's Lighting Industry Reshapes Its Future

In terms of scale, over 1,000 enterprises participated in the main venue, alongside eight satellite venues across the town, creating a dynamic exhibition network. The fair's offerings spanned smart lighting, home lighting, and commercial lighting, extending even into ceramics, smart locks, and other home-related sectors, thus forming a one-stop procurement ecosystem.

Behind this comprehensive product coverage lies Guzhen's robust industrial foundation built over 40 years — within an area of just 50 square kilometers, over 20,000 lighting-related enterprises operate, accounting for 70% of China's and 50% of the world's lighting market share. From component manufacturing to finished product assembly, from R&D design to logistics and sales, every link in the chain is supported by a mature and complete ecosystem.

Guzhen Lighting Fair recorded a 6.47% year-on-year increase in overseas buyers, representing 144 countries and regions — a rare achievement amid today's complex global trade environment. In fact, Guzhen's lighting products have long illuminated the world, with exports reaching over 180 countries and regions. In 2024, the town's total export value exceeded 10 billion RMB, and in the first half of 2025, export growth surged by 26.4%. The bustling presence of international buyers at the fair vividly reflects Guzhen's accelerating globalization strategy and its growing status as a world-class hub for lighting innovation and trade.

If enterprises are the “cells” of industrial development, then the government's precise policies act as the catalyst that invigorates these cells. Since the spring edition of this year's Lighting Fair, the Guzhen Town Government has undergone a subtle yet profound transformation—shifting from “behind-the-scenes support” to frontline leadership, becoming a key driving force in reshaping the industry's strategic landscape.

This transformation is first reflected in the “authority upgrade” of industry exchanges. In previous years, forums and ecosystem conferences of the Guzhen Lighting Fair were mostly organized by exhibitors or media platforms. This year, however, the government took the lead. For instance, at this edition of the fair, events such as the “Smart Home Lighting Ecosystem Co-creation Forum” and the “2025 Smart Lighting Green Development Conference” were not only attended by top enterprises like Xiaomi Group, Opple Lighting, and China Telecom, but also by key officials from the Guzhen Town Party Committee and Government, who participated throughout the sessions to listen, learn, and draw on advanced insights — enhancing the scientific precision of policy decisions.

In fact, during the spring fair earlier this year, the government had already hosted a forum titled “AI Empowering High-Quality Development of the Lighting Industry”, which brought together experts from China Telecom Research Institute and the China Association of Lighting Industry to discuss the integration of AI and lighting. This “government builds the stage, enterprises perform” model has made industry dialogues more targeted and strategic, providing a clear direction for the sector's advancement.

The government's proactive approach is also evident in the creation of innovation platforms and industrial carriers. The nation's first AI Large Model Application Platform for Lighting—a “smart engine” jointly developed by the government, Zhongshan Telecom, and industry enterprises—was unveiled at the opening ceremony. The following day, “Lighting Capital · Four Seasons Lane,” China's first extended lighting foreign trade complex, officially opened its doors, with senior government leaders attending in person to support local enterprises.

At present, the lighting industry is facing “dual pressures” both internally and externally. Externally, China's lighting product exports reached USD 34.4 billion in the first eight months of this year, a 6.7% year-on-year decline. Internally, domestic demand remains weak, with fewer real estate projects and increasing financial pressure from project receivables.

In response, Guzhen Town is tackling these challenges through two strategic approaches — spatial expansion and industrial transformation — creating a new growth path for the lighting sector.

On the spatial expansion front, Guzhen has made “industrial renovation” (工改) its central focus, implementing a systematic strategy built around “Negotiation, Relocation, Demolition, Construction, and Attraction.”

Between 2022 and 2024, the town cleared and redeveloped 46 industrial renovation sites, totaling over 1,600 mu (about 1.07 million m²), and constructed 800,000 m² of high-standard industrial facilities.

These measures not only resolved the long-standing issue of fragmented land resources, but also attracted more than 100 high-quality enterprises to settle in Guzhen — injecting fresh momentum and vitality into the lighting industry cluster.

In terms of industrial transformation, Guzhen Town has launched the “Settle, Return, and Rebuild” billion-yuan enterprise initiative, a strategic plan aimed at addressing key challenges in enterprise development.

Through the “Settle” plan, local large-scale or high-potential enterprises are supported in overcoming land and facility shortages; the “Return” plan encourages successful companies founded in Guzhen to reinvest and expand back home; and the “Rebuild” plan helps emerging quality enterprises establish a strong presence in the town.

At the same time, Guzhen is accelerating its intelligent and digital transformation (“Smart Upgrade and Digital Shift”), integrating high-quality upstream and downstream supply chain resources. Currently, nearly 85% of above-scale enterprises in Guzhen have achieved digital and intelligent upgrades, marking a significant leap from traditional manufacturing to smart manufacturing.

Amid the wave of industrial transformation, Guzhen Town is not resting on its current achievements but is charting a bold course for the future of the lighting industry—anchored on intelligentization, greening, and internationalization.

Intelligentization stands at the core. From the AI large-model application platform connecting the entire industrial chain to ecosystem solutions shared by leading enterprises like Xiaomi and Opple, Guzhen is driving a shift from single lighting products to intelligent lighting scenarios. Many enterprises have launched products featuring constant illuminance adjustment and self-networking dimming functions, covering residential, office, and commercial applications. “AI + Light Technology” is becoming the new label of Guzhen’s industrial upgrade.

Greening is an inevitable choice. At this year’s Lighting Fair, exhibitors showcased artistic lighting made from eco-friendly materials such as aerospace-grade aluminum and hand-blown glass—meeting aesthetic demands while aligning with global sustainability trends. This “green transformation” extends beyond materials to production processes, where smart digital upgrades are reducing energy consumption and promoting low-carbon, eco-friendly development.

Internationalization is the long-term strategy. Beyond the “Lighting Capital · Four Seasons” foreign trade complex, Guzhen is building a “cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt” ecosystem, partnering with global platforms like Amazon and Shopee to host official matchmaking events and provide integrated services in logistics, payments, and compliance. By supporting overseas warehousing in Europe, the U.S., and Belt and Road markets, Guzhen is advancing from “Made in China” to “Branded from China.”

From a single lamp to an industrial cluster worth hundreds of billions, and from an agricultural town to the “Lighting Capital of China,” Guzhen has written a miracle of industrial development over the past 40 years. Though the grand event of the 33rd Lighting Fair has concluded, the pace of industrial restructuring and transformation continues. With the joint forces of government leadership, enterprise efforts, and innovation-driven development, Guzhen Lighting is illuminating the future of the global lighting industry with greater intelligence, sustainability, and openness.