Storyline: China's Optics Valley emerges as premier high-tech powerhouse [Voice_over] In central China's Hubei Province, an industrial cluster known as "Optics Valley" is lighting up the global tech landscape, with its cutting-edge optical fibers and cable products now connecting more than 100 countries across the globe. Once the birthplace of China's first optical fibers back in 1976, today it's a magnet for top talent and an incubator for world-changing innovation. Like the breakthrough in hollow optical fibers compared to quartz, which industry experts say is a game changer. [Sound_bite] Zhuang Dan, chairman, national key laboratory for advanced manufacturing and application technology of fiber optic cables, Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company: "In the past, solid quartz optical fibers had a transmission speed of 200,000 kilometers per second due to attenuation. In contrast, hollow optical fibers in a vacuum experience have almost no attenuation, allowing speeds to approach 300,000 kilometers per second. This enhancement boosts transmission speed and reduces latency by over 30 percent, achieving a world-leading standard." [Voice_over] It’s not just about connectivity in the Valley. Lasers developed here are powering advancements in semiconductors, autonomous driving and for display screens. To turn lab discoveries into real-world products, the government has built a shared and open platform for businesses, universities, and research institutes to collaborate, which is speeding up R&D. [Sound_bite] Wu Chang, director, technology development department, Hubei Jiufeng Mountain Laboratory: "We focus on an 'application-oriented' approach, meaning our needs are driven by the real demands of the industry. We define our research directions based on these demands to address the key common technologies throughout the supply chain. Ultimately, we develop these technologies and share them with all partners across the supply chain." [Voice_over] China’s Optics Valley has attracted some 16,000 optoelectronic information companies, with an industrial scale exceeding 80 billion U.S. dollars. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]