Guzhen, Guangdong

Guzhen
古镇镇
Town

Guzhen park
Country China
Province Guangdong
Prefecture Zhongshan
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)

Guzhen (simplified Chinese: 古镇镇; traditional Chinese: 古鎮鎮; pinyin: Gǔzhèn Zhèn) is a town situated on the northwest periphery of the city of Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China, some 23 kilometres (14 mi) from the city center. The town is most well known for manufacturing all kinds of lighting. In recent years the town has grown into a place with thousands of small and big factories all related to lighting in one way or the other. Many international lighting companies have factories and showrooms in Guzhen town, which is about one and a half hours drive from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The population of Guzhen Town is estimated at 75,000 permanent residents with a floating population of up to 30,000.

Administration

The area of Guzhen is divided into twenty administrative districts each with a resident committee. Guzhen town gives the most revenue to Zhongshan government now whereas previously it was Xiolan Town.

Geography

The town of Guzhen is bordered by Jiangmen to the West, with the Xi river serving as a boundary. The Xi river forms part of the Pearl River. Foshan borders Guzhen to the North.

Economics

Lighting industry

Dubbed China Lighting Capital by the China Light Industry Council and China Association of Lighting Industry. Guzhen is the largest production base of lighting fittings in the China and one of the four largest lighting fitting distributing centers in the world. In 2001, lighting fittings produced in Guzhen made up 60% of the Chinese market with exports reaching $250 million. The production of lighting fittings is the primary industry in Guzhen, accounting for nearly 88% of the town's industrial output.

The development of the lighting fittings industry in Guzhen can be traced back to the late 1970s, however, the first significant developments took place from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Due to the rapid economic development of China Guzhen's lighting fittings industry has undergone unprecedented growth in the past two decades.

Guzhen's growth at the turn of the millennium was unprecedented, boasting a 50% increase in lighting enterprises from 1999 to 2001, with exports increasing from $40 million to $250 million.

While Guzhen now primarily produces non-branded OEM goods for international brands such as [LightingOEM.com], it has spawned some domestic players in the industry, such as: Huayi, Opple lighting and Senqiu.

References

Coordinates: 22°36′45″N 113°11′27″E / 22.6125°N 113.1907°E / 22.6125; 113.1907

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