中国光谷：一束照亮科技未来之光The Optics Valley of China: Illuminating the Path to the Future

张焕馨Zhang Huanxin

提到武汉，你会想起什么？是“天下第一楼”黄鹤楼，还是令人垂涎欲滴的热干面，抑或是如烟如霞的满城樱花？其实，武汉还有一个科技感十足的身份——中国光谷。数十年间，光谷涌现出了中国第一根光纤、第一家科技企业孵化器、第一个光通信国际标准、第一款商用存储芯片等诸多创新成就。从最初的一束光到一座科技名城，光谷已成为武汉引以为傲的世界级“名片”。

When you think of Wuhan， what springs to mind？ The iconic Yellow Crane Tower， themouth-watering hot dry noodles， or perhaps a city adorned with the gentle hues of cherryblossoms？ However， Wuhan holds another technological gem — the Optics Valley of China. Overthe past few decades， this valley has given birth to numerous breakthroughs， including Chinasfirst optical fiber， the first technological hub， the first optical communication standard， and thefirst commercial chip. Here， a single ray of light has blossomed into a technological hub， elevatingthe valley to a world-class symbol of pride for the city of Wuhan.

聚光成谷The Radiant Beginnings

光谷因“ 光” 得名。1976年3月， 武汉邮电科学研究院赵梓森院士在一间简易的实验室里，抻出了中国第一根石英光纤，为中国光电子信息产业发射了“第一束光”。1988年，武汉市政府以邮电科学研究院为基础，在东湖周边建立了东湖高新区。2001年，东湖高新区被批准为国家光电子产业基地，被称为“武汉 · 中国光谷”。时至今日，经过六次扩容，光谷的面积由最初的24 km? 扩大至518 km?。

The Optics Valley gained prominence for itsmastery of “light.” In March 1976， in a humblelaboratory， Zhao Zisen， a researcher at FiberHomeTechnologies Group， successfully produced Chinasfirst quartz optical fiber， igniting the spark forthe Chinas optoelectronic industry. Building onFiberHomes achievements， the Wuhan municipalgovernment established a high-tech developmentzone near the East Lake in 1988. By 2001， thishigh-tech zone had gained national recognitionas an optoelectronic industry hub， later to beknown as the Optics Valley of China. Today， aftersix expansions， it has grown from an initial size of24 km? to a sprawling 518 km?.

20多年前，中国使用的光纤主要依赖进口，价格极其昂贵，每公里超2 000 元。如今，光谷已经成为全球最大的光通信研发生产基地，其生产的光纤光缆占全国市场的66%，占国际市场的25%，不仅解决了专业技术“卡脖子”的问题，还使光纤光缆的价格降至每公里30元左右。2023年，在中国最早从事光纤光缆生产的企业——长飞光纤的车间里，每秒钟都有58米光纤产出。

Two decades ago， China heavily reliedon imported optical fibers， which came at anexorbitant cost of over 2，000 RMB per kilometer.Fast forward to today， and the Optics Valley hasemerged as the worlds largest center for fiberopticcommunication research and production.The optical fibers and cables manufactured herenow command a 66% share of the Chinese marketand a 25% share of the international market. Thistransformation has not only reduced Chinasdependence on specialized technology but has alsosignificantly lowered the price of optical fibers and cables to approximately 30 RMB per kilometer. In2023， Yangtze Optical Fiber and Cable， one of Chinaspioneers in the industry， can produce an astonishing58 meters of optical fibers every second.除了光纖光缆，激光产业也是光谷的重要支撑产业。作为中国激光产业的发源地，光谷拥有200多家激光企业，其产品已广泛应用于锂电、光伏、医疗、高端制造、智能网联汽车等各行各业。

Along with optical fibers， the success ofthe Optics Valley is also underpinned by thelaser industry. As the birthplace of Chinas lasertechnology， it is now home to 200 laser companies，producing a wide range of products including lithiumbatteries， photovoltaics， healthcare solutions， highendmanufacturing， and smart connected vehicles.

中国光谷起源于“光”，但其辐射领域早已超越了“光”。目前光谷形成了“5+2”产业体系，包括光电子信息、生命健康、节能环保等五大主导产业，以及集成电路和新型显示、数字经济等两大新兴产业。在智能终端领域，光谷吸引了小米、华为、联想、中兴等一批知名品牌入驻，强强联合，众星璀璨，共同为光谷发光发热。

The valleys impact also goes beyond its initialfocus on light. It now boasts a dynamic “5+2”industrial framework， encompassing five coreindustries such as optoelectronics， healthcare， energyconservation and environmental protection， and twoemerging fields — integrated circuits and new displaytechnologies， as well as digital economy. In the realmof smart terminals， the valley has become a magnetfor tech giants like Xiaomi， Huawei， Lenovo， andZTE. Together， they form a synergistic cluster thatfurther illuminates the landscape of the Optics Valley.

青年之城The City of Youth

30多年前，光谷所在的东湖高新区还被戏称为武汉“乡里”，如今已成为中国三大智力密集区之一，汇聚了武汉大学、华中科技大学等42所高等院校、56个国家级和省部级科研院所，拥有超过30万专业技术人员和80多万在校大学生。

Just three decades ago， the East Lake HightechDevelopment Zone was often referred to asthe “countryside” of Wuhan. Today， this regionhas transformed into one of the three mostprominent intellectual hubs in China. It houses42 universities， including prestigious institutionssuch as Wuhan University and Huazhong Universityof Science and Technology， along with 56 nationaland provincial-level research institutes. The valleycurrently accommodates over 300，000 professionalsand serves as the academic home for 800，000students.

截至2021年，在武汉光谷工作的拥有博士学位的高新技术人才超过了1.2万人。位于光谷未来科技城的“马蹄莲”大楼是武汉标志性的创新建筑，这里聚集了数千名各领域的创新型人才。武汉新能源研究院相关负责人介绍，这座大楼里的博士有上百人，工作人员的平均年龄也只有30 岁。

As of 2021， Optics Valley was home to aworkforce of 12，000 high-tech professionals， all ofwhom hold doctoral degrees. The valleys heart， theFuture City， features a distinctive building shaped likea calla lily， symbolizing creativity. This architectural

marvel hosts over a thousand innovators. Aspokesperson from the Wuhan Institute of NewEnergy reports that the building houses more thana hundred Ph.D. holders， with a remarkably youngaverage age of just 30 years old.

孙雷蒙是马蹄莲大楼里一个典型的光谷创业者，与光谷有着不解之缘。孙雷蒙出生于武漢，求学于华中科技大学，毕业数年后，又回到母校任教，他对武汉这片热土饱含深情。2017年，孙雷蒙在光谷创办了“华引芯”，致力于高端光源芯片的设计、研发与生产。成立至今，该公司自主研发的芯片与光源性能均已达到世界一流水平。

Among these exceptional individuals is SunLeimeng， a representative of the entrepreneurialspirit that thrives in the Optics Valley. Sun， a Wuhannative and an alumnus of Huazhong University ofScience and Technology， chose to return to his almamater to teach after gaining a few years of experiencefollowing graduation. His unwavering dedication toWuhan led him to establish HGC Technology in thevalley in 2017， focusing on the design， development，and production of high-end light source chips.The chips and light source solutions independentlydeveloped by his company have now achieved worldclass standards.

科技創新Technological Advancements

光谷的目标定位，远不止是科技产业集群地，而是要以科技为引领，打造一座科、产、人、城深度融合，具有国际吸引力的“向往之城”。现在的光谷中心城，聚集了政务、生态、商务金融、文体、消费、医疗、教育等一流资源，俨然成为未来城市的样板。

The Optics Valley aspires to be more thanjust a technology hub; it aims to lead the way intechnology and appeal to the world through itsdeep integration of science， industry， community，and urban living. The Central City of the OpticsValley exemplifies effective governance， a thrivingecosystem， robust business and financial sectors，lively cultural and sporting events， diverse consumer options， and top-notch healthcare and educationalinstitutions. It serves as a model for what futurecities aspire to be.

2023年9月26日上午10时，武汉光谷空轨旅游线正式对外迎接游客，这是中国开通的首条空轨铁路。蓝白相间的“光谷光子号”列车以倒挂空中、270°观景车厢及全自动无人驾驶功能等为特色，载着游客，驶向通往未来的奇妙旅程。

On the morning of September 26， 2023， at 10 AM，the Wuhan Optics Valley Sky Rail Line was officiallyinaugurated. This iconic sky rail features sleek “OpticsValley Photon” trains suspended in the air， cabins with270-degree panoramic views， and fully automatedunmanned operation. It offers passengers a marvelousjourney into the future， providing a glimpse oftransportation in the years to come.

从“一束光”到“一座城”，光谷不断书写着中国科技发展的崭新篇章。希望未来光谷将继续以科技创新为引领，从“中国光谷”迈向“世界光谷”。

The Optics Valley has evolved from a singlebeam of light into a radiant cityscape， continuouslyscripting new chapters in Chinas technologicalnarrative. Looking ahead， it is well-positioned tomaintain its momentum of technological innovation，transcending from being Chinas Optics Valley to theworlds Optics Valley.