Optics Valley ready for next 30 years

OVC's buildings shine under a rainbow. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC) has witnessed unprecedented progress over the past five years.

In 2017, the China (Hubei) Free Trade Zone was unveiled, with its Wuhan Area all located in the valley. OVC’s 30-year anniversary was celebrated in 2018, and the next year, Hubei proposed the establishment of the Optics Valley Sci-Tech Corridor. The East Lake Science City was launched in 2021 with the goal of becoming a domestic strategic scientific powerhouse. The science city now boasts five major scientific facilities, five provincial laboratories, five State-level innovation centers, and five frontier inter-disciplinary research platforms.

Meanwhile, high-tech products indigenously developed by OVC-based enterprises, such as optical fibers, laser cutting machines and advanced displays, continue to influence China and the rest of the world.

The regional GDP of OVC surged from 170.3 billion yuan ($25.36 billion) in 2018 to 240.1 billion yuan last year, with a year-on-year increase of 9.7 percent, and per capita GDP has surpassed $31,000.

Along with the new scientific and technological revolution, a new development paradigm has taken shape, changing the global landscape. OVC will seize the opportunity granted by the new era and work to become a global innovation hub in the next 30 years.