"Light: Illuminating the Beauty of Life" - The 148th AALD Salon iSpeak520 (Suzhou Station) Successfully Held

On October 27, 2025, the 148th Asian Association of Lighting Designers (AALD) Salon iSpeak520 concluded successfully in Suzhou. With the theme of "Light: Illuminating the Beauty of Life," the event brought together representatives from various sectors of the industry to discuss the current state and future of urban lighting construction. Co-hosted by the Suzhou Lighting Association, Hangzhou Urban Lighting Industry Association, and AALD, the event was supported by Suzhou Lighting, Wuxi Lighting, and Tus Design Group as co-organizers, and Yangguang Media as the organizer. It also received strong support from partners such as Orijet, Guanglian Lighting, and Zhongzhao Jinzhi.

At the outset of the event, Li Miao, Deputy Director of the Suzhou Municipal Management Center, delivered a speech. He emphasized that lighting is not merely an embellishment to the city's nightscape but also a crucial force in enhancing residents' happiness. The event, centered around the theme of "Light Illuminating the Beauty of Life," held significant meaning. He hoped that the guests would seize this opportunity to engage in in-depth exchanges, fully showcase innovative lighting concepts and diverse expressions, and illuminate the city's dreams with care.

Li Miao

Wang Weidong

Subsequently, Wang Weidong, Chairman of the Suzhou Lighting Association and Chairman of Jiangsu Hongjie Smart Technology Co., Ltd., took the stage. He stated that this event was not only a gathering of industry wisdom but also a heartfelt handshake among lighting forces in the Yangtze River Delta. United by the shared mission of "making life better with lighting," they hoped to gather industry wisdom and jointly explore the infinite possibilities of light and shadow art.

During the event, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the launch of the 11th Asian Lighting Design Awards (Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou Station) became the focal point. Mr. Li Miao, Mr. Chang Xiaojie, Chairman of Suzhou Lighting Technology Co., Ltd., Mr. Shen Wei, Chairman of the Hangzhou Urban Lighting Industry Association, Senior Member of AALD, and Vice President of Zhejiang Urban Construction Planning and Design Institute, Mr. Wang Weidong, and Mr. Ma Bin, Secretary-General of AALD, jointly witnessed this significant moment. As the second stop after Beijing, this launch ceremony undoubtedly added more anticipation and attention to the entire event. As one of the most authoritative and influential awards in the Asian lighting design field, the Asian Lighting Design Awards aim to recognize projects that demonstrate innovative thinking and artistic value in lighting design, thereby promoting the development of the lighting industry.

As a speaking platform specifically designed for young designers, iSpeak520, with its unique format of "5-minute speech + 20 PowerPoint slides," provided a stage for emerging talents in the industry to showcase their abilities. The event also specially invited senior designers to serve as judges, offering forward-looking guidance and advice to young designers based on their profound professional expertise and rich experience.

Zhu Xuan

Shi Kun

At the meeting, Zou Hui, General Manager/Chief Designer of Hangzhou Sanse Stone, and Wang Junhan, Deputy Director of the Lighting Institute at Shanghai Fudan Planning and Architectural Design & Research Institute, both senior designers, delivered themed speeches titled "The Light of Blank Space: Poetry in Restraint" and "Transformation & Breakthrough," respectively. They led the way by demonstrating the "5-minute speech + 20 PowerPoint slides" format, illustrating the deep connection between "design expression" and "project implementation" through practical case studies.

Zou Hui, Wang Junhan

Subsequently, during the iSpeak520 speech session, Hu Xin, Design Director of Jiangsu Hongjie Smart Technology Co., Ltd., He Mengjie, Designer at Wuxi Lighting Co., Ltd., Gao Yi, Designer Representative from Suzhou Urban Investment Lighting Development Co., Ltd., Shen Linyue, Designer Representative from Zhejiang Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd., and Cai Hongping, Design Director at China United Engineering Lighting Institute, also delivered精彩 (jingcai, meaning "wonderful" or "impressive") speeches in the "5-minute speech + 20 PowerPoint slides" format, fully showcasing the talent and creativity of young designers. After the speeches, Mr. Chang Xiaojie and Mr. Ma Bin jointly presented honorary certificates to the speakers, recognizing their professionalism and encouraging young designers to continue delving into the field of "design expression."

Hu Xin (top left), He Mengjie (center top), Gao Yi (top right), Shen Linyue (bottom left), Cai Hongping (center bottom)

Huang Lei, Ma Bin

The event was co-hosted by Mr. Huang Lei, AALD Wuxi Coordinator/Senior Member and Deputy General Manager of Wuxi Lighting Co., Ltd., and Mr. Ma Bin. Among them, Mr. Ma Bin also delivered a wonderful speech titled "The Old 'Den' and the Young 'Den'." During the interactive discussion session, the guests engaged in in-depth exchanges around the core topic of "How Urban Lighting Enhances Residents' Happiness."

Shen Wei

At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Shen Wei provided a systematic summary of the event. He mentioned that although the current policy environment is favorable, a series of issues such as operational pressure caused by market changes pose significant challenges to the industry. This salon achieved remarkable results in breaking down industry barriers and promoting in-depth exchanges among cross-sectoral entities. He hoped that the industry would use this opportunity to build consensus, overcome difficulties together, and achieve greater progress and development.

Wang Hongbo, Fu Chuangye

Wang Hongbo, Chairman of Shanghai Guanglian Lighting Co., Ltd., and Fu Chuangye, Chairman of Zhejiang Orijet Lighting Technology Co., Ltd.

Some participating guests

This "iSpeak·520" event marked the second stop in AALD's series of salon activities for the year. In the future, AALD will continue to visit numerous cities and regions, including Shanghai, Jinan, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Fuzhou, using "design expression" as a link to gather industry wisdom and promote innovation and development in Asian lighting design!