Hall 3 OPTICS OF CHINA

 

Introduction to the Hall

Welcome to the hall of OPTICS OF CHINA. This is the Gallery of Optical History, dedicated to showcasing China’s remarkable achievements in optics since the founding of the People’s Republic. Covering 448 square meters, it features 19 exhibits. The main color tone is golden yellow, symbolizing the vast land of China, its magnificent landscape, and its glorious accomplishments—like a harvest of rich and abundant fruits.

Pioneers of Optics

This exhibit is called Pioneers of Optics. It highlights the academicians who made outstanding contributions to the development of China’s optical science and industry. Through the tireless dedication of several generations of optical scientists, China’s optics has continued to advance, achieving accomplishments that have drawn worldwide attention. Their stories inspire us to carry forward the pioneering spirit of perseverance, to inherit and build upon this legacy, and to contribute our own strength to the future of China’s optical development.

Wang Daheng Star

This exhibit is Wang Daheng Star. In front of you is a block of K9 optical glass, engraved with a laser carving of the bust of Academician Wang Daheng—recipient of the “Two Bombs, One Satellite Meritorious Medal” and member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Viewed from the side, the bust appears three-dimensional. You can also explore multimedia displays to learn more about Wang Daheng’s contributions to China’s optical science. In honor of his achievements, in 2002 the International Astronomical Union named Asteroid No. 17693 as Wang Daheng Star. This star forever carries forward the scientific spirit he advocated: “seeking truth from facts, assessing the situation, inheriting and innovating, and advancing with courage.”

Light of China

This exhibit is Light of China. In the early 1950s, China’s very first optical research institution—the Institute of Instrumentation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—was established in Changchun, marking the starting point of modern optics in New China. Over more than half a century of development, more than 170 universities across the country now offer optics programs, and hundreds of research institutes, key laboratories, and engineering centers dedicated to optics have been founded. China’s optical research has steadily expanded, with its overall strength continuing to grow. Through multimedia and information panels, you can further explore the milestones of China’s optical development.

The Beginning of Optics

This exhibit is The Beginning of Optics, showcasing the first major scientific achievements of the Institute of Instrumentation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences—the very first optical research institution of New China. These achievements are known as the “Eight Key Instruments and One Essential Material.” The “Eight Key Instruments” include: a high-temperature metallurgical microscope, a high-precision theodolite, a universal tool microscope, a crystal spectrometer, a large spectrograph, a multi-arm projector, a photoelectric rangefinder, and an electron microscope. You can learn about the purpose of each instrument through the display panels. The “One Essential Material” is optical glass, a vital foundation for manufacturing optical instruments. In December 1953, China produced its very first batch of optical glass, breaking the long-held dependence on imports. Compared with ordinary glass, optical glass is far more advanced in composition purity, production processes, and optical performance.

Shenzhou Surveying the Skies

This exhibit is Shenzhou Surveying the Skies. Aerospace optical remote sensing technology represents the cutting edge of modern science and technology, as well as a reflection of a nation’s overall strength. Here you can see life-size models of three cameras carried aboard China’s mapping satellites. Today, the number of satellites operated by China ranks among the world’s top. Satellites equipped with various optical remote sensing instruments serve multiple purposes: resource satellites survey and study Earth’s natural resources; meteorological satellites observe the Earth and its atmosphere; ocean satellites monitor marine pigments, supporting the development of marine biological resources, the detection of marine pollution, and oceanographic research; mapping satellites provide critical data for scientific research, national land surveys, and cartographic mapping.

Chang’e Lunar Exploration

This exhibit is Chang’e Lunar Exploration. For thousands of years, the Chinese people have dreamed of reaching the Moon. Modern lunar exploration is both a hallmark of space technology development and a measure of a nation’s comprehensive strength. China’s lunar exploration program, named the Chang’e Project, is structured in three stages: unmanned lunar exploration, manned lunar landing, and the establishment of a lunar base. The unmanned stage is further divided into three steps: orbiting, landing, and returning. The main objectives of the Chang’e Project are to capture three-dimensional images of the lunar surface, analyze the content and distribution of surface elements and materials, study the properties of lunar soil, and investigate the Earth–Moon space environment.

Ruby Laser

This exhibit is Ruby Laser. In September 1961, the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics successfully developed China’s first ruby laser, an achievement that shocked both domestic and international communities and marked the beginning of laser research in China. In 1916, Albert Einstein first proposed the theory of stimulated emission. In May 1960, Theodore Maiman, a scientist in California, built the world’s first laser and introduced the concept into experiments. By July of the same year, he had successfully produced the first working laser device. China’s first laser, nicknamed the Small-Sphere Illuminated Ruby Laser, used a linear xenon flash lamp and a specially designed spherical reflector, with a ruby rod as the lasing medium. Although it came nearly a year later than its foreign counterpart, it featured unique innovations—particularly in its pumping method, which achieved higher excitation efficiency than similar international designs. This milestone demonstrated that China’s laser technology had already reached the world’s advanced level at that time.

The Laser Family

This exhibit is The Laser Family. Lasers are renowned for their excellent coherence, monochromaticity, directionality, and extremely high brightness and intensity. From common laser pointers and stage lighting effects to advanced applications in laser machining, communications, range-finding, and precision guidance, lasers play an increasingly vital role across a wide range of technological fields. Here on display are several representative devices, including an early YAG pulsed laser, helium–neon and other gas lasers, as well as semiconductor-pumped solid-state lasers. Through the information panels and video materials, you can further explore the classifications, characteristics, and applications of different types of lasers.

Shenguang Laser Facility

This exhibit is the Shenguang (Divine Light) Laser Facility. In front of you is a scale model of the target chamber of Shenguang II, a high-power neodymium-glass laser device. Shenguang II is a scientific experimental platform designed to explore controlled nuclear fusion—an effort to address humanity’s energy challenges. The system can simultaneously emit eight laser beams, each progressively amplified in power. When these beams are precisely focused onto a small target sphere, they release an immense burst of energy, generating extreme pressure and temperatures. In that instant, the device produces fusion energy comparable to a “man-made sun.” This pursuit represents humanity’s ultimate dream of harnessing abundant, clean fusion power. A video presentation will guide you through this remarkable process in greater detail.

White-Light Information Processing

This exhibit is White-Light Information Processing. When taking photographs, the vividness of colors tends to fade with increasing distance, a phenomenon known as “color fading.” This presents challenges for long-distance information collection, such as military target tracking. Since 1981, Nankai University has been researching white-light information processing technology, which enables color images to be reproduced from black-and-white film. In practice, a full-optical color encoder is placed inside a regular camera. During photography, the color image is encoded and recorded onto black-and-white film. When the black-and-white transparency is processed through an image-processing system with optical filtering, the original color image can be reconstructed. The white-light information processing system offers advantages such as freedom from coherent noise, multispectral information capture, and wavelength-division multiplexing. It played a key role in applications including addition and subtraction of color images, false-color coding, archival storage of color film, and restoration of faded film colors. However, with the advent of digital imaging technology, this technique has gradually faded into history.

Exploring Deep Space

This exhibit is Exploring Deep Space. On display is the LAMOST telescope—also known as the Guo Shoujing Telescope—located at the Xinglong Observatory of the National Astronomical Observatories of China. Unlike traditional telescopes that directly capture images of celestial objects, LAMOST collects the light emitted by stars and galaxies and analyzes their spectra to extract astrophysical information. LAMOST consists of an active aspherical correcting mirror (MA), a spherical primary mirror (MB), and a focal plane. The primary mirror MB and the focal plane remain fixed, while the correcting mirror MA tracks the motion of celestial objects. Starlight is reflected by MA to MB, then onto the focal plane, where 4,000 optical fibers deliver the light to spectrographs for analysis.

LAMOST employs an array of many small, adjustable sub-mirrors, which together form the required reflecting surface. With the help of 888 actuators, these sub-mirrors can be precisely shaped and aligned, solving the long-standing problem of combining a large aperture with a wide field of view. In addition, its parallel-controlled fiber-positioning technology allows it to capture 4,000 spectra simultaneously, making LAMOST the world’s most efficient spectroscopic survey telescope.

Optical Fiber Communication

This exhibit is Optical Fiber Communication. Optical fiber communication uses light waves as carriers and optical fibers as the transmission medium. It features large capacity, long transmission distance, minimal signal interference, strong confidentiality, resistance to electromagnetic interference, and excellent transmission quality. In addition, optical fibers are small in size and lightweight, making them easy to lay and transport.

Since the birth of China’s first optical fiber in 1976, our nation’s optical fiber communication technology and independently developed products have reached an internationally advanced level. From the early days of low-speed transmission to today’s high-speed transmission, optical fiber communication has become one of the backbone technologies supporting the information society, forming a vast academic and industrial field. As society’s demand for information transfer continues to grow, optical fiber communication will move toward ultra-high capacity, intelligence, and integration.

Space Laser Communication

This exhibit is Space Laser Communication. Space laser communication refers to transmitting information between two or more terminals using laser beams as the information carrier. It has the advantages of large capacity, lightweight design, low power consumption, compact size, high security, and low construction and maintenance costs. These benefits make it widely used in military communications, satellite communications, broadband access, and global personal mobile communications. In China, research directions include dynamic space laser communication at Changchun University of Science and Technology, static ground-based positioning laser communication at Wuhan University, and satellite-to-ground laser communication at Harbin Institute of Technology.

Optical Materials and Components

This exhibit is Optical Materials and Components. Optical materials are the substances used to make optical components, such as optical glass, optical crystals, optical plastics, and optical ceramics. Optical components are the fundamental units that form optical paths and systems. Common examples include lenses, prisms, and wave plates. Here you can see a variety of optical materials and components on display. Compare them with the illustrated panels to get a better understanding of their characteristics and functions.

Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF)

This exhibit is Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF). Located in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Pudong, Shanghai, the facility covers about 200,000 square meters. It is one of the world’s most advanced medium-energy synchrotron light sources, ranking fourth globally in beam energy—just after Japan’s SPring-8, the United States’ APS, and Europe’s ESRF.

SSRF consists of a full-energy injector, an electron storage ring, beamlines, and experimental stations. The injector generates and accelerates an electron beam to the required energy. The electrons then circulate at nearly the speed of light inside the closed vacuum storage ring, releasing synchrotron radiation whenever they are deflected. SSRF has the capacity to build more than 60 beamlines and over 100 experimental stations, providing scientists with more than 5,000 hours of beam time each year. Hundreds of researchers from multiple disciplines can conduct experiments simultaneously. Its wavelength range covers from far-infrared to hard X-rays, and is continuously tunable. Synchrotron radiation was first discovered in 1947 in a U.S. synchrotron, and SSRF represents the third generation of synchrotron light sources.

In the hall, a film is playing that reviews over half a century of China’s progress in optics since the founding of the People’s Republic. Through this film, you can truly appreciate how generations of Chinese optical scientists have driven the remarkable growth of China’s optical sciences.

That concludes the introduction to this hall. If you have finished visiting the three halls on this floor, please take the escalator to the second floor and continue your journey in the hall of EXPLORATIONS INTO OPTICS to unlock even more optical wonders!