Ramie (pronounced Ray-me) is one of the oldest vegetable fibers and has been used for thousands of years. It was used for Chinese burial shrouds over 2,000 years ago, long before cotton was introduced in the Far East.

Ramie is classified chemically as a cellulose fiber, just as cotton, linen, and rayon. Leading producers of ramie are China , Taiwan , Korea , the Philippines and Brazil.

Until recently ramie has been unknown in the ready-to-wear market in this country, but it is appearing in more garments. It is often blended with cotton and available in woven and knit fabrics that resemble fine linen to coarse canvas.

Ramie usage increased in the mid-1980s with a fashion emphasis on natural fibers and a loophole in textile import regulations. Ramie, and garments made of more than 50 percent ramie, entered the United States without import quota limits. Legislation was passed in 1986 eliminating the quota-free status of ramie.

Ramie was originated from China , it is the earliest one of the fibers which were used in textile in Chinese history. The incomplete slices of ramie fabric which were unearthed in Wuxing , Zhejiang province were made 4700 years ago. And at that time our country already had a high competences relatively in ramie process technology in ancient time.

Ramie textile had strong national local conditions and customs, and it also accumulated the abundant ancient Chinese culture. Grass cloth is the mainly clothes material in ancient time. In the Spring and Autumn Period, ramie clothes had been regarded as top-grade gift by noble. The traditional grass cloth was a tribute before Ming and Qing Dynasty in Chinese history, there is still a big market space in Southeast Asia and South Korea until now.

China has widest ramie planting area, highest output and best quality in the world. The output of ramie accounts for more than 90% of the total output of the world.