China's Danyang tops global spectacle lens manufacturing

Danyang, a county-level city in east China's Jiangsu Province, is the world's largest production base for spectacle lenses.

A staff member showcases an eyeglass frame at a shop within the Danyang International Optical Center in Danyang city, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 11, 2018. (Photo/Xinhua)

Known as China's "capital of glasses," Danyang generates over 400 million spectacle lenses annually, accounting for 75 percent of nationwide production and 50 percent of the global total.

The city currently hosts over 1,600 enterprises operating in the eyewear and associated industries, employing more than 50,000 people.

Danyang’s eyewear industry dates back to the 1960s. Nowadays, enterprises in the city have adopted automated production lines for spectacle lens manufacturing.

A staff member arranges eyeglass frames at a shop within the Danyang International Optical Center in Danyang city, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 11, 2018. (Photo/Xinhua)

Danyang boasts a comprehensive industrial chain for the eyewear sector, focusing on the design, production, and sale of spectacle lenses.

The city produces over 100 types of spectacle lenses sold in over 50 countries and regions worldwide.

Danyang has increased protection for intellectual property rights and improved product quality supervision in the eyewear industry. Glasses from Danyang have become a distinguished symbol of the city.

A worker adds film onto glasses at a glasses company in Danyang city, east China's Jiangsu Province, July 12, 2018. (Photo/Xinhua)

According to statistics, in 2022, taxable sales in Danyang's eyewear manufacturing sector grew 8.66 percent from the previous year, reaching 12.23 billion yuan ($1.7 billion). Export sales also saw an increase of 18.61 percent year on year, amounting to 4.5 billion yuan.

Thanks to the flourishing eyewear industry, Danyang's GDP exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time in 2014. In 2021, the city ranked 10th among Jiangsu's top 10 county-level economies in terms of GDP.

Photo shows the Danyang International Optical Center in Danyang city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo/Xinhua)