East Lake High-tech Zone is short for Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone, which is also known as Optics Valley of China.

East Lake High-tech Zone was founded in 1988 and was approved by the State Council in succession as one of the first national high-tech zones, the second National Innovation Demonstration Zone, the China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone – Wuhan Area and the core area for the Hubei Cross-Straits Industrial Cooperation Zone. Optics Valley has also been recognized as a National Optoelectronic Information Industrial Base, a National Bio-industry Base, a talent base for central SOEs, a National Innovation and Entrepreneurship Demonstration Base, as well as a National Memory Base.

Developmental milestones 

• Establishment of East Lake High-tech Development Zone (1988)
  

• Approved as one of the first national high-tech zones (1991)
  

• Recognized as National Optoelectronics Information Industrial Base, also known as Wuhan Optics Valley of China (2001) 

• Approved as National Bio-industry Base (2007)

• Approved by the State Council as the second National Innovation Demonstration Zone (2009)

• Wuhan Future City was set to be a talent base for central SOEs (2011)

• Recognized as China (Hubei) Pilot Free Trade Zone Wuhan Area (2016)

• Recognized as one of the national innovation and entrepreneurship demonstration bases (2016) 

• National Memory Base (2016)

• Listed as one of the top 10 high-tech zones to receive prioritized support by Ministry of Science and Technology (2017)

The zone has a planned area of 518 square kilometers and a population of about 1.8 million. It has 42 institutes of higher learning, including Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. It also has 56 research institutes at the national, provincial and ministerial levels and more than 300,000 professional and technical personnel, making Optics Valley one of the three most talent-intensive areas in the country. 

The zone has eight sub-districts: Guandong, Fozuling, Baoxie, Jiufeng, Huashan, Zuoling, Longquan and Binhu. It has eight industrial parks: the Biolake, Wuhan Future City, Wuhan East Lake Free Trade Zone, Optics Valley Optoelectronic Information Industrial Park, Optics Valley Modern Service Industrial Park, Optics Valley Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park, Optics Valley Chinese Sci-tech City and Optics Valley Central City.

To augment its industrial ecosystem, the zone is constructing two world-class trillion-yuan-level industry clusters – namely the "Optics, IC, Displays, Terminals and Internet" cluster and the biomedicines cluster. It is also vigorously developing industrial forms of new economy and advancing the layout of future industries such as artificial intelligence, to constantly upgrade its primacy.

In accordance with a three-step strategy for its development as a World Optics Valley, the zone is adhering to international standards. It is vigorously implementing a three-year action for high-quality development and is accelerating its construction as an internationally innovative Optics Valley, a modern and prosperous Optics Valley and an environmentally beautiful Optics Valley.