China Quality Daily | A Chronicle of Efforts to Enhance Quality in the Decorative Lighting Industry of Guzhen, Guangdong

September marks the 49th National “Quality Month,” jointly organized by the State Administration for Market Regulation and 25 other departments, aiming to deepen nationwide quality initiatives and promote social co-governance of quality. This year’s theme is “Strengthening Quality Technical Foundations and Enhancing Quality and Safety Assurance,” encompassing three key areas: promoting quality concepts and fostering a quality culture; opening up quality resources to empower quality improvements; and safeguarding quality and safety while optimizing the consumer environment. On September 22, the fourth page of China Quality Daily published an article titled “Tempering the ‘City of Lights’ to Shine Toward the Future—A Record of Guangdong Zhongshan Guzhen’s Efforts to Elevate the Lighting Industry,” documenting how Zhongshan’s Guzhen Town—a major lighting industry cluster in China—has leveraged quality to drive industrial transformation and upgrading. Below is the full text of the report:

        A single lamp can illuminate an entire city. Located in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, Guzhen Town—renowned worldwide as the “Capital of Chinese Decorative Lighting”—spans less than 48 square kilometers yet hosts over 30,000 lighting businesses. Its products account for 70% of China’s domestic market share and are exported to more than 140 countries and regions, forming a lighting industry cluster worth hundreds of billions of yuan.

　　In February 2026, Guzhen set its overarching goal for the 15th Five-Year Plan period: “Building a World-Class Lighting Capital.” In March, the 34th China (Guzhen) International Lighting Fair received approval from the Ministry of Commerce, upgrading it into a nationally significant trade platform. Meanwhile, “Guzhen Lighting” was recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as a regional brand under the “China Consumer Famous Product” program. From making lamps to create livelihoods to crafting light environments and exporting Eastern aesthetics, from family-run workshops to smart IoT-enabled operations, Guzhen’s industrial sophistication continues to rise—and quality stands as the most solid cornerstone on this path of advancement.

　　When quality thrives, so does the industry. Looking back, Guzhen owes its reputation as the “Capital of Chinese Decorative Lighting” to countless enterprises that dared to innovate and take risks. Moving forward, only by firmly grasping the key of quality can the town break free from the trap of low-end homogenization and transition from a large industrial hub to a strong one. Improving quality is not a short-term battle but a long-term endeavor. Taking a three-year intensive action plan as an opportunity, Guzhen is steadily strengthening its quality infrastructure, cultivating corporate quality cultures, and advancing coordinated efforts across regulation, services, innovation, and branding—ensuring that the light of quality continues to guide the lighting industry’s transformation and upgrade, further enhancing the prestigious “Guzhen Lighting” brand and contributing a Zhongshan model to the high-quality development of China’s consumer goods industry clusters.

Unleashing the Sword

Firmly Bolstering Quality Foundations with Tough Measures

        The dazzling glow of lights is Guzhen’s most distinctive hallmark.

　　However, behind this massive industrial scale lie numerous small and micro enterprises facing intense homogeneous competition, uneven compliance capabilities, and inadequate implementation of quality responsibilities. Some merchants also exhibit weak awareness of CCC certification (3C certification), non-standard labeling, and insufficient quality control—issues that hinder the industry’s progress toward higher-value segments of the value chain.

　　Meanwhile, China’s new GB/T 7000.1-2023 standard for luminaire safety has already been implemented, requiring all existing CCC certificates to be replaced by the end of this year; overdue certificates will be suspended. For Guzhen, where small and micro enterprises dominate, this represents a race against time—a critical “certification overhaul.”

　　On July 25, 2026, Zhongshan City convened a conference on strengthening quality and advancing industrial product quality over a three-year period. Launched in 2024, 2026 marks the decisive year of this initiative. “Making ‘Made in Zhongshan’ synonymous with high quality—that is our relentless pursuit,” declared Guo Wenhai, Secretary of the Zhongshan Municipal Party Committee, setting the tone for this campaign. At the event, the Zhongshan Lighting Electrical Appliances Industry Association unveiled a “Code of Ethical Business Conduct.”

　　Four days later, Guzhen Town held its own three-year action conference on improving lighting product quality. The town’s Party Committee and government emphasized unwavering commitment to prioritizing manufacturing, promoting industrial restructuring and technological upgrades, and implementing rigorous source‑level and enforcement‑level governance. They urged the entire town to confront problems head-on, adopt tailored strategies, and carry out resolute rectification. Thus began a comprehensive quality offensive spanning production, distribution, and both online and offline channels.

　　Guzhen’s approach is not simply punitive—it employs a combination of “rectify some, assist some, and cultivate excellence among others.” The tough‑on‑compliance side leaves no room for compromise: since August, the town’s Party Secretary and Mayor have led teams into retail outlets, lighting supply centers, and workshops, meticulously verifying business qualifications, the validity of CCC certificates, and product labeling, insisting on “one inspection, one briefing, and one standardization.” Equally robust is the support component: the Guzhen Lighting Product Quality Service Center has opened at the Lighting Building, bringing authoritative certification services right to businesses’ doorsteps. Previously, the “Industrial Products Hospital—Guzhen Service Station,” operated by the National Lighting Quality Inspection and Testing Center (Zhongshan), had already been inaugurated here…

　　If CCC certification represents the baseline, what Guzhen truly surmounted was the threshold from “passive compliance” to “proactive quality improvement.” The town’s quality‑enhancement efforts integrate government oversight, platform empowerment, industry self‑regulation, and enterprise responsibility, with these four forces working in concert to drive continuous product quality improvements.

Building Platforms

Bringing Certification Services Right to Businesses’ Doorsteps

      Quality improvement begins with platforms. In this campaign, the Guzhen Town Federation of Industry and Commerce (Chamber of Commerce) plays a pivotal role in building such platforms.

　　On August 6, the Guzhen Town Lighting Product Quality Service Center, spearheaded by the town’s Federation of Industry and Commerce, officially opened. Housed in the Guzhen Lighting Building, covering over 2,000 square meters, the center adopts a service model of “government guidance, chamber leadership, and enterprise participation,” integrating resources for standards consultation, certification recognition, inspection and testing, and quality management. It offers enterprises end-to-end services including CCC, CE, UL, and other international certifications, standards interpretation, quality diagnostics, and quality management system coaching—enabling one-stop processing and full-chain resolution of quality-related matters.

　　Just 11 days later, the first batch of institutions signed agreements to join the center. Among them were 14 organizations—including the Guangzhou Branch of the China Quality Certification Center Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Quality Inspection Zhongcheng Certification Co., Ltd.—with seven leading certification and testing agencies and seven agency service providers. These entities will tailor their services to meet the practical needs of small and micro enterprises, proactively providing assistance to help the lighting industry elevate its quality standards.

　　The establishment of this platform directly addresses common pain points in Guzhen’s lighting industry: most small and micro enterprises face fragmented certification channels, high compliance costs, and uncertainties about “what to do, who to turn to, and where to go.” The Guzhen Town Federation of Industry and Commerce has gone beyond merely consolidating physical spaces. Since late July, the Chamber has collaborated with market regulators to intensify policy outreach, organizing 24 specialized training sessions that reached over 3,000 enterprises and merchants. Rather than simply reading policies aloud, these trainings focused on practical operational challenges—such as certificate validity, labeling requirements, supervisory inspections, and end-to-end certification processes—shifting the focus from “issuing notices and holding events” to “building platforms and facilitating connections.” At the quality‑improvement conference, the Chamber also released a “Code of Ethical Business Conduct,” leveraging industry self‑regulation to advance joint quality governance.

Setting Benchmarks

Leading Merchants to Become Guardians of Quality

      If the Quality Service Center serves as the “front door” for services, then the Guzhen Jianfa·Starlight Alliance Global Brand Lighting Center (hereafter referred to as “Guzhen Jianfa·Starlight Alliance”) acts as the “back door” for circulation.

　　As a globally leading, single-site professional lighting center, the Guzhen Jianfa·Starlight Alliance boasts nearly 360,000 square meters of total floor space, housing flagship stores of nearly 700 original manufacturers. Its product range spans decorative art lamps, home lighting, commercial lighting, and intelligent lighting, earning a series of prestigious accolades, including “National-Level Intellectual Property Protection Standardized Market,” “National AAA-Tier Tourist Attraction,” and “Global Procurement Base.”

　　During the quality‑improvement campaign, the Guzhen Jianfa·Starlight Alliance made merchant compliance training a core service priority. On August 7, the Alliance, together with the Zhongshan Lighting Electrical Appliances Industry Association and the Guzhen Town Federation of Industry and Commerce, hosted a special sharing session on CCC certification for lighting fixtures, attracting nearly 400 enterprise leaders and technical experts. Three distinguished guests delivered comprehensive compliance guidance from three perspectives: expert interpretations of certification policies, frontline regulatory compliance guidelines, and real-world experiences from leading companies. Meanwhile, the Guzhen Town Market Supervision Bureau, drawing on its frontline regulatory experience, presented “Guidelines for Compliance in Lighting Fixture Sales Units,” offering an in-depth analysis of current regulatory trends, key inspection priorities, and essential compliance requirements for businesses.

　　As a gatekeeper of quality in the distribution chain, the Guzhen Jianfa·Starlight Alliance regards industrial quality improvement and compliance as its very foundation. Beyond establishing a regular merchant empowerment system—offering periodic management training and hands-on courses in new media operations to enhance competitiveness—the Alliance has instituted strict admission review and routine inspection mechanisms, requiring merchants to strictly fulfill their product quality responsibilities, adhere to unified labeling standards, and proactively disclose critical information such as product certifications, applicable standards, and manufacturer details. By helping merchants convert their compliance advantages at the source into market competitiveness, the Alliance works together to polish the golden brand of “Guzhen Lighting.”

　　As an important showcase for Guzhen’s lighting industry, the Guzhen Jianfa·Starlight Alliance brings together numerous branded merchants, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and mature operational management systems. It plays a demonstrative and leading role in advancing industry standards and ensuring quality compliance. Moving forward, with the support of the Guzhen Town Government, the Alliance plans to further leverage its leading position, expanding its influence from within the venue to the entire town, encouraging all local lighting businesses to fulfill their quality responsibilities and improve compliance practices. It aims to evolve from a mere “property manager” to a “quality co-governor,” creating a model lighting industry center characterized by fully enforced accountability, stringent access controls, and efficient public–private collaboration—providing replicable, scalable examples for elevating the overall quality of the town’s lighting industry and continuously enhancing the prestige of the “Guzhen Lighting” brand.

Strengthening Intelligent Manufacturing

Reimagining Value Propositions Through Original Design

      While maintaining a firm grip on the bottom line in the distribution chain, quality transformations on the manufacturing side are also advancing in depth.

　　Entering the intelligent production workshop of Zhongshan Songwei Lighting Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as “Songwei”), one finds automated three-dimensional finished-product warehouses, material storage areas, and automated aging-testing systems operating smoothly. Routine tasks such as warehouse management, vertical transportation, and lamp aging have all been replaced by robots. Originally a “husband-and-wife shop” that started in 2003 by renting a 300-square-meter factory space, Songwei now operates a digital, intelligent industrial park spanning 3.07 hectares, with a total floor area of 12,800 square meters and a total investment of approximately RMB 360 million, holding over 1,800 patents.

　　Songwei’s transformation goes beyond “replacing humans with machines.” On the R&D front, Songwei has established strategic partnerships with Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, and Soochow University, serving as their off-campus practice bases and translating academic research into commercially viable aesthetic solutions aligned with market demands. In March 2026, Songwei signed an agreement with Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts to establish an off-campus practice base, aiming to cultivate more versatile design talents capable of seamlessly integrating creative ideas with on-site implementation amid the AI-driven disruption of the design industry.

　　At the 2026 National Dealer Conference, Songwei Chairman Xie Wei stated emphatically: “Upholding originality is a long-term value investment. Consumers aren’t just buying lamps—they’re purchasing unique aesthetic experiences and spatial emotions. That’s precisely what gives Songwei the confidence to resist the tide of low-priced offerings.” Against the backdrop of rising costs, Songwei chose to cut expenses internally by optimizing its supplier network, standardizing components, and establishing joint R&D mechanisms with key suppliers, thereby absorbing most cost pressures and redirecting savings into increased profit margins for dealers. Its “Peacock Feather” series, “Lanterns Traveling the World,” and other original creations have successively won renowned domestic creative design awards, and in 2026, Songwei even received China’s Excellent Patent Award. Songwei’s experience demonstrates that, on the new track where quality competes with price, original design and intelligent manufacturing are the core weapons enabling Guzhen’s lighting enterprises to navigate economic cycles.

　　From a single factory to an entire industry chain, from a handful of “leading geese” to thousands of “flock members”—the quality improvement of Guzhen’s lighting industry is undergoing a profound transformation, shifting from government-driven initiatives to enterprise‑led consciousness, from downstream enforcement to upstream governance, and from isolated breakthroughs to systemic reconstruction. When “quality is life” transitions from slogan to action, and when every lamp leaving here can withstand market scrutiny, the golden brand of “Guzhen Lighting” will surely shine ever brighter on the global lighting industry map.

　　After being tempered, the “City of Lights” has embarked on a brand-new journey toward a future illuminated by light!

Text Source: China Quality Daily

Editorial Layout: Du Fu

Editor-in-Charge: Li Yao