Workers are hard at work at a plant belonging to Nantong Schmidt Opto Electrical Technologies Co in Rugao on Dec 11, 2019. [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Nantong Schmidt Opto Electrical Technologies Co, based in Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, is one of the largest research, development, and manufacturing centers for astronomical telescopes in the world.

It was founded in 2011 with a total investment of $28 million and now owns a number of world-famous brands, including Celestron and Sky-Watcher. 

Around 90 percent of its products are sold abroad and have been widely used for astronomical observation, filming, education, security monitoring, transport, and aerospace.

The company's sales revenue for 2019 was about 300 million yuan ($43.02 million).

In recent years, the company has started exploring the domestic market by developing two types of detachable telescopes for beginners and middle and primary school students.

It also plans to build a telescope museum and develop it into an industrial tourist attraction.