Little Guzhen brightens market

Editor's note: The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China laid out a blueprint for the nation's path to modernization, with the aim of guiding the development of all people in the new era and contributing positively to global progress. Throughout the year, China Daily will run a series of picture stories that highlight important waypoints on this journey. In this fourth installment, we focus on a small town in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, that produces 70 percent of the light and lighting equipment for the domestic market.

On March 20, Moroccan businessman Rachid Rajraji visited Guzhen Times Square again to purchase lights. Guzhen town, which is located in Zhongshan City, Guangdong province, is the largest light and lighting equipment supplies center in the country and is known as "China's capital of lighting".

Sales in the town account for over 70 percent of the domestic lighting market, and products are exported to 130 countries and regions. Over the past 40 years of reform and opening-up, China's private sector has developed from a small entity into a major force for promoting high-quality economic development.

"In recent years, we have been deepening our involvement in the lighting industry, gradually developing from a simple agricultural town into an important regional town supported by the lighting industry," said Ruan Zhili, deputy secretary of the Guzhen Party committee and head of the town.

Now, the small town with an area of about 50 square kilometers has a permanent population of 222,000 and some 70,000 registered businesses. The lighting industry has an annual output in excess of 100 billion yuan ($13.96 billion).

"Some competitors have said that Chinese products are not good. I think people should come and see China's strength and the friendliness of the Chinese people, and then decide whether to buy products from here or not," Rajraji said.