In the northwest corner of Zhongshan, Guangdong, Guzhen, a small southern town covering only about 50 square kilometers, holds the pulse of the global lighting industry.
Guzhen produces lighting products that account for 70% of the national market and 50% of the global market, attracting merchants from hundreds of countries and regions annually. Over 45,000 lighting and supporting enterprises are concentrated here, forming an industrial cluster with an annual output value exceeding 100 billion yuan.
From its humble beginnings as a "handmade workshop" imitating Hong Kong wall lamps to a world-class industrial center that "buys and sells globally," Guzhen has illuminated the path of upgrading Made in China with a single lamp.
01. The Glorious Beginning of a Lamp
In 1981, Yuan Daguang, a Guzhen resident, brought back two wall lamps from Hong Kong. Using wire, bent pipes, and light bulbs, he "hand-crafted" the first homemade lamp, igniting the spark of Guzhen's lighting industry.
Zhongshan Guzhen: The Secret Behind a Billion-Yuan Lighting Industry Chain that Creates a Global Top-Ranked Industry
This entrepreneurial wave, originating from grassroots roots, quickly spread like wildfire amidst the spring breeze of reform and opening up: By 1986, Guzhen boasted 847 large-scale individual and collective lighting enterprises; by 1997, Guzhen's lighting products commanded 46% of the national market; by 1999, the saying "Look to Beijing and Shanghai for lighting trends, and look to Guzhen for Beijing and Shanghai lighting trends" became prevalent; and in 2002, it was officially awarded the title of "China's Lighting Capital." Early Guzhen residents fully embodied the "Four Thousand Spirit"—traveling thousands of miles, speaking countless words, devising countless strategies, and enduring untold hardships to forge their way into the market, creating a unique commercial landscape characterized by "carrying a lantern across the world." Back then, Guzhen's workshops billowed with smoke, and every household clung to a jingle of lights, forging a bright new path in the Pearl River Delta's manufacturing landscape.
02. The Ecological Secret of a Hundred-Billion-Yuan Cluster
Today, Guzhen has long since abandoned the extensive, "every village lighting" model of development.
With Guzhen at its center, the industrial cluster encompassing 11 towns in three cities—Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Foshan—has built the world's most complete lighting industry chain.
Zhongshan Guzhen: The Global Secret Behind the Hundred-Billion-Yuan Lighting Industry Chain
Guzhen boasts an astonishing industrial density. Within an area of only approximately 50 square kilometers, over 45,000 lighting and supporting companies are concentrated. From chip packaging to lampshade design, all upstream and downstream links are within walking distance, greatly facilitating exchange and collaboration across the industry.
As a result, its supporting services have reached peak efficiency—"you can complete your entire supply chain procurement process just by walking up and down the stairs at the lighting supply city." This convenient supporting service is the result of the dedicated efforts of 200,000 practitioners. This vast workforce not only reduces production costs but also significantly shortens the R&D cycle for new products, enhancing companies' market competitiveness.
Zhongshan Ancient Town: The Global Top-Ranking Secret Behind the Hundred-Billion Yuan Lighting Industry Chain
Guzhen's trade network spans the globe. Four million square meters of specialized shopping malls and a 1.5 million square meter exhibition and trade platform provide products with a dazzling opportunity. By meticulously developing a full-cycle trade matrix encompassing the "Spring and Autumn Lighting Expo" and the "Summer Lighting Exhibition," Guzhen has successfully established a comprehensive, multi-layered trade platform, attracting merchants from around the world.
Zhongshan Ancient Town: The Global Top-Ranking Secret Behind the Hundred-Billion Yuan Lighting Industry Chain
This "ant army"-like ecosystem has made Guzhen a "super reactor" of the global lighting industry. At the 2025 Spring Lighting Expo, 3,500 companies participated, with single-day contracts exceeding 3 billion yuan. Cutting-edge projects such as AI light control systems and low-altitude economic intelligent manufacturing were launched, demonstrating the cluster's magnetic attraction.
03. A Breakthrough in the Pains of Transformation
Behind its current glory, Guzhen also once faced growing pains.
On the one hand, the hidden danger of industrial hollowing out gradually emerged. Some manufacturing processes have relocated to Henglan, Jiangmen, and other areas. Although traditional lighting still holds a 70% market share, the growth rate of LED output has begun to decline since 2018, putting pressure on industry development.
Furthermore, the risk of being locked into the low-end market should not be underestimated. Due to fierce market competition, Zhongshan's LED industry output value declined by 9.95% year-on-year in the first half of 2022. This dire situation has forced the Guzhen lighting industry to shift its focus from decoration to illumination.
Faced with numerous difficulties, Guzhen's path to breakthrough is characterized by a resolute inward approach:
First, a revolution in spatial layout was launched. Through "industrial reform," Guzhen demolished over 1,000 acres of inefficient industrial parks in just three years. At the same time, there are over 3,000 mu (approximately 166 acres) of industrial land available for supply and over one million square meters of new factory space to attract key industry chain projects such as Zhaochi COB light strips and NVC Optoelectronics, creating a smart optoelectronics industrial park and injecting new vitality into industrial development.
Zhongshan Guzhen: The secret behind the trillion-yuan lighting industry chain becoming a global powerhouse
Next, there is a leap forward in technological innovation. NVC Lighting, in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has developed fully reflected light technology, achieving "zero glare." Weilai Lighting's COB production capacity ranks first globally. 126 high-tech enterprises are actively promoting the popularization of 5G+AI quality inspection, significantly improving product quality and production efficiency.
Zhongshan Guzhen: The secret behind the trillion-yuan lighting industry chain becoming a global powerhouse
Finally, there is a restructuring of the development model. Dangxiangtian Lighting established a smart lighting experience center in Moscow and, through cultural tourism and light exhibitions, is actively exploring the new economic model of "lighting + scene." By shifting from "selling products" to "selling lighting effects," the development of Guzhen's lighting industry has entered a new direction.
04.
Brand Expedition in the Global Market
Behind its current glory, when Guzhen Lighting was labeled "Made in China," a brand expedition full of opportunities and challenges quietly began.
In its journey towards high-end, the NVC Plamd brand has precisely positioned itself, targeting developed countries. Its ceramic lamps cleverly blend traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics, successfully achieving a premium product.
Amidst the wave of digitalization, Guzhen Lighting has actively embraced change. Leveraging its three major e-commerce live streaming platforms and a high cross-border e-commerce penetration rate of 50%, it has secured a competitive advantage in the market. The "Cross-border E-commerce + Industrial Belt" initiative facilitates the "Hundreds of Millions Project" and closely connects with platforms like Amazon and Xiyin, building a broader digital export channel for Guzhen's lighting products to reach the world.
Zhongshan Guzhen: The Secret Behind the Hundred-Billion-Yuan Lighting Industry Chain, a Global Top-Ranked Product
The China (Zhongshan) Lighting Intellectual Property Rights Quick Maintenance Center plays a key role in industry standardization and guidance, processing 7,000 patents annually. With strong intellectual property protection and standards guidance, it is driving the industry from simple "cost competition" to "technology-based pricing."
In 2024, Guzhen's foreign trade exports will exceed 10 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 25%. Lighting product exports to Southeast Asia will increase significantly, demonstrating its transformation from a "OEM base" to a "brand powerhouse."
The lights of Guzhen illuminate the typical path of China's industrial cluster upgrade: from grassroots entrepreneurship to ecological aggregation, from scale expansion to rising value.
Zhongshan Ancient Town: The Secret Behind a Global Top-Ranked Lighting Industry Chain Worth 100 Billion Yuan
As the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel connects the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary, and as "AI + Optical Technology" redefines the boundaries of lighting, this small town is anchored by its "five centers"—industry, trade, design, information, and technology—as it strives to become a "world-class lighting capital."
