中國光谷：一束照亮科技未來之光The Optics Valley of China: Illuminating the Path to the Future

張煥馨Zhang Huanxin

提到武漢，你會想起什么？是“天下第一樓”黃鶴樓，還是令人垂涎欲滴的熱干面，抑或是如煙如霞的滿城櫻花？其實，武漢還有一個科技感十足的身份——中國光谷。數十年間，光谷涌現出了中國第一根光纖、第一家科技企業孵化器、第一個光通信國際標準、第一款商用存儲芯片等諸多創新成就。從最初的一束光到一座科技名城，光谷已成為武漢引以為傲的世界級“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， 武漢郵電科學研究院趙梓森院士在一間簡易的實驗室里，抻出了中國第一根石英光纖，為中國光電子信息產業發射了“第一束光”。1988年，武漢市政府以郵電科學研究院為基礎，在東湖周邊建立了東湖高新區。2001年，東湖高新區被批準為國家光電子產業基地，被稱為“武漢 · 中國光谷”。時至今日，經過六次擴容，光谷的面積由最初的24 km? 擴大至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，中國使用的光纖主要依賴進口，價格極其昂貴，每公里超2 000 元。如今，光谷已經成為全球最大的光通信研發生產基地，其生產的光纖光纜占全國市場的66%，占國際市場的25%，不僅解決了專業技術“卡脖子”的問題，還使光纖光纜的價格降至每公里30元左右。2023年，在中國最早從事光纖光纜生產的企業——長飛光纖的車間里，每秒鐘都有58米光纖產出。

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.除了光纖光纜，激光產業也是光谷的重要支撐產業。作為中國激光產業的發源地，光谷擁有200多家激光企業，其產品已廣泛應用于鋰電、光伏、醫療、高端制造、智能網聯汽車等各行各業。

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.

中國光谷起源于“光”，但其輻射領域早已超越了“光”。目前光谷形成了“5+2”產業體系，包括光電子信息、生命健康、節能環保等五大主導產業，以及集成電路和新型顯示、數字經濟等兩大新興產業。在智能終端領域，光谷吸引了小米、華為、聯想、中興等一批知名品牌入駐，強強聯合，眾星璀璨，共同為光谷發光發熱。

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，光谷所在的東湖高新區還被戲稱為武漢“鄉里”，如今已成為中國三大智力密集區之一，匯聚了武漢大學、華中科技大學等42所高等院校、56個國家級和省部級科研院所，擁有超過30萬專業技術人員和80多萬在校大學生。

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，在武漢光谷工作的擁有博士學位的高新技術人才超過了1.2萬人。位于光谷未來科技城的“馬蹄蓮”大樓是武漢標志性的創新建筑，這里聚集了數千名各領域的創新型人才。武漢新能源研究院相關負責人介紹，這座大樓里的博士有上百人，工作人員的平均年齡也只有30 歲。

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.

孫雷蒙是馬蹄蓮大樓里一個典型的光谷創業者，與光谷有著不解之緣。孫雷蒙出生于武漢，求學于華中科技大學，畢業數年后，又回到母校任教，他對武漢這片熱土飽含深情。2017年，孫雷蒙在光谷創辦了“華引芯”，致力于高端光源芯片的設計、研發與生產。成立至今，該公司自主研發的芯片與光源性能均已達到世界一流水平。

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

光谷的目標定位，遠不止是科技產業集群地，而是要以科技為引領，打造一座科、產、人、城深度融合，具有國際吸引力的“向往之城”?，F在的光谷中心城，聚集了政務、生態、商務金融、文體、消費、醫療、教育等一流資源，儼然成為未來城市的樣板。

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時，武漢光谷空軌旅游線正式對外迎接游客，這是中國開通的首條空軌鐵路。藍白相間的“光谷光子號”列車以倒掛空中、270°觀景車廂及全自動無人駕駛功能等為特色，載著游客，駛向通往未來的奇妙旅程。

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.

從“一束光”到“一座城”，光谷不斷書寫著中國科技發展的嶄新篇章。希望未來光谷將繼續以科技創新為引領，從“中國光谷”邁向“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.