Tang Guoqing | The person who used LED to illuminate China (Jiang Fengyi)

On May 13, "Connecting All Things, Lighting the Future -- Innovation Forum on Health Intelligence and Outdoor Lighting Driven by AI" is about to launch grandly. Mr. Tang Guoqing, Vice Chairman of the China Illuminating Engineering Society and Executive General Manager of MLS Co., Ltd., will attend the event to deliver a keynote speech titled "Ten Stories of LED in 2026".

Recently, Mr. Tang Guoqing has been serializing the article series "People Who Illuminate China with LED" on his personal WeChat official account "Tang Shiyi", focusing on the professional experiences and industry dedication of industry leaders and seasoned practitioners. By telling the stories of decision-makers, innovators, and practitioners who have driven industrial development, it vividly portrays the real landscape of China's lighting industry under the waves of intelligence, health, and globalization. We will continue to push this series of exciting content, inviting everyone to read ahead about industry figures' stories and revisit key marks of industrial development.

"The Person Who Illuminated China with LED" (Part 1)

A Few Stories About Teacher Jiang Fengyi

Author / Tang Guoqing

Teacher Jiang, we have known each other for decades. The most memorable occasion was when Teacher Jiang, as the host, accompanied Academician Chen Lianghui from Beijing; I happened to join them and visited Tengwang Pavilion together. After the tour, Teacher Jiang dined with us at a restaurant by the Gan River serving clay pot soup. Upon picking up our chopsticks, we noticed a couplet on the chopstick sleeve: "Sometimes breaking the ice with one sentence is better than working hard all year round." Later, whenever the three of us met, we would recite this phrase in unison, showing how deeply it had impressed us.

大约是1999年，我与上海金桥大晨的吴文峰董事长和康健（圆融创始人），去江风益的实验室，那间实验室不大，仅20多平方。当时他拿出一块紫外芯片给我们演示，往百元人民币上一照，即可显示出图形和100字样。“演示者无意，观摩者有意”，觉得这是一个商机。马上去义乌小商品市场问询，摊主听说都说好！吴董当即回美国，找人研发制造紫外芯片。运回国内后，拿给珠海裴小明封装，市场售价为11元/颗。2000年火呀，供不应求。这里想说的是江老师就是一个发明家，最早的原始创新是他呀！

后来人所皆知的是他与王敏等人创办了晶能公司，带领团队发明了“硅衬底高光效GaN基蓝色发光二极管”，获得了2016年国家技术发明一等奖。习近平总书记表彰大会给他颁奖后，在江西南昌考察时，特地去南昌大学，亲自去MOCVD炉前察看，从此中国的LED灯有了中国芯。

On March 24, 2019, the China Illuminating Engineering Society convened an appraisal committee chaired by Academician Chen Lianghui, with members including Academician Jiang Huilin, Chairman Bing Shukui, and twelve other experts (I was honored to participate). From 8:00 AM until 1:30 PM (with no breaks), they evaluated four projects as internationally leading and one as internationally advanced. I recall two moments: First, Chairman Bing was very persistent; during a discussion on one project initially rated as internationally advanced, he argued vigorously based on facts to elevate it to internationally leading. Second, when Academician Chen signed the document, his hand trembled with emotion, saying, 'This is unprecedented!' The appraisal evaluation follows: Five achievements mark a major breakthrough for China in the field of silicon-based LED (the third global technology route), with core technologies independently controllable, overall levels internationally leading, significant economic and social benefits, and broad prospects for promotion.

2019 was a year of happiness for Teacher Jiang, when he received four international leading awards and one internationally advanced award in March. In July, he met Mr. Shuji Nakamura, a Nobel Prize laureate, and obtained his endorsement. In November, he was honored as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Teacher Jiang has always adhered to the principle of 'writing papers on the land of our motherland.' Just recently, in February this year, he led his team to win the 2026 Tan Kah Kee Prize for Information Technology and Science, which is hailed as 'China's version of the Nobel Prize'.

"Less heat, more light" is Teacher Jiang's motto, and it is something all of us in the LED industry should learn!