Ramie cloth

Ramie Cloth

　　The production of Wanzi ramie cloth boasts a long history, though its exact origins are unknown. Before the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, there were more than ten ramie businesses operating in Wanzi County. In 1950, the county produced 32,700 pieces of ramie cloth; in 1953, 97,900 pieces—the highest post-liberation annual output; and in 1978, 12,700 pieces. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the county government implemented measures such as incentives and support, leading to a recovery and growth in ramie production. After 1995, due to market shrinkage, production declined. By 2000, international market demand increased, and ramie output has since stabilized at around 20,000 pieces per year. Wanzi ramie cloth has long been renowned for being “soft, smooth, flat as a mirror, and light as gauze,” and is exported to regions such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shanghai, as well as Southeast Asia and Korea. Over the years, many merchants from other areas have traveled to Wanzi to place orders. Wanzi ramie cloth is one of the region’s local specialties and also one of Jiangxi’s top three specialties.

　　 Most Wanzi ramie cloth is produced and processed on family farms, classified as handmade and decentralized production. It retains three traditional processes: hand-spinning the yarn, hand-sizing the warp, and weaving on traditional looms.

　　 In 1986, the county’s foreign trade department, aiming to expand the export-oriented ramie cloth factory, secured a 120,000-yuan loan from the provincial textile import and export company to renovate the factory buildings and workshops of the Daqiao Township Ramie Cloth Factory—established in 1954—and upgrade its bleaching and weaving equipment. This transformed it into the county’s first “Shuangqiao Export Ramie Cloth Factory.” In April 1987, the county government applied to the provincial and regional authorities to designate Shuangqiao Export Ramie Cloth Factory as an export commodity production base. By 1988, the factory was capable of producing purely handmade ramie cloth, semi-handmade ramie cloth, and bleached ramie cloth, with an annual production capacity of 10,000 pieces.

　　 In 1988, the county’s ramie production saw significant growth, with 1.69 million meters of ramie supplied for export, equivalent to 70,416 pieces. Wanzi ramie accounted for 46.5% of the total ramie exports in the province.

　　 In 1993, modern new techniques were first applied to deeply process ramie cloth through batik dyeing and computerized embroidery, producing a series of bedspreads and mattress covers for export. By 1994, 3,016 such items had been exported over two years, generating sales of 49,800 yuan.

　　 The recovery of Wanzi ramie production mainly occurred after the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee. The county and township governments implemented various measures in terms of pricing policy, raw material bases, and production incentives to encourage and support the industry. Five village-run ramie cloth factories were established, including those in Xinkai, Bitian, and Huangcun of Mapu in Tanbu, Daqiao Village in Shuangqiao, and Liaohang Village in Bailiang. Township-run factories included the Shuangqiao Ramie Cloth Factory and the Bailiang Ramie Cloth Factory. In 1988, the county produced 96,059 pieces of ramie cloth, employing 500 workers and nearly 400 looms. Since the 1980s, the Southeast Asian market primarily demanded 600-count to 1,000-count bleached fine ramie cloth, leading to an increase in farmers engaged in ramie weaving. In 1990, 1,129 weavers produced 35,042 pieces of fine ramie cloth. By 1994, over 1,500 workers were involved in ramie production across the county, using more than 1,200 looms to produce 107,000 pieces. In 1995, the county produced 4.25 million meters of ramie cloth (10,000 meters equals 454.5 pieces). Thereafter, the sales market shrank, and production dropped sharply. By 2000, the county produced only 150,000 meters. After 2000, international market demand surged, and ramie production began to rebound. New ramie cloth factories were established in Dai Tang, Xinmin, Baoshi, and Wangcun villages in Mapu Township. By 2004, the township had eight ramie cloth factories, 120 looms, and over 1,000 weavers. By the end of 2004, 25,000 pieces of ramie cloth were produced. Total county ramie output reached over 40,000 pieces. Varieties included two-tone cloth, curtain cloth, fully handmade cloth, and semi-handmade cloth. Specifications ranged from 0.6 meters, 0.45 meters, to 0.3 meters. By the end of 2004, four ramie cloth factories had annual outputs exceeding 2,000 pieces: Yuan Yi Hemp Weaving Factory, located in Huangcun, Mapu Township, established in 2001 with 2,000 square meters of floor space, legal representative Zhang Yuansheng (from Nanchang), 30 looms, and 45 workers; Shuangzhi Ramie Cloth Factory, also in Huangcun, Mapu Township, established in 2003 with 1,000 square meters, legal representative Song Zhiyuan, 25 looms, and 35 workers; Penghui Weaving Factory, located in Huangcun, Mapu Township, established in May 1996 with 2,000 square meters, legal representative Xin Hongchu, 25 looms, and 35 workers; and Wanzi County Quanpeng Weaving Factory, located on Keren Road, Xinmin Village, Mapu Township, covering 7,000 square meters, with 40 looms and 65 workers.

　　 Procurement and Sales: The procurement of ramie cloth was primarily handled by the county supply and marketing cooperative’s local products company and procurement points in various townships. Export-quality ramie was procured by the county foreign trade company’s local products division. After the 1990s, private businesses became active, purchasing ramie directly and transporting it elsewhere. Since 1986, with rising international demand and expanded sales channels, the Wanzi County Foreign Trade Company adopted new procurement and sales methods to boost supply and exports. First, it shifted from fixed-location purchasing to door-to-door collection, dispatching foreign trade personnel to villages to purchase ramie piece by piece directly from households. In 1988, over 300 household visits were made, resulting in the direct procurement of more than 6,000 pieces, ensuring sufficient export supply. That year, the county supplied 1.69 million meters of export-quality ramie, equivalent to 70,416 pieces, generating sales revenue of 8.3864 million yuan. Second, the company offered incentives for ramie sales—each piece of ramie could be exchanged for 2.5 kilograms of imported urea, a planned material. In 1987, 11.2 tons of fertilizer were used as incentives, boosting production and sales enthusiasm. Third, procurement networks were expanded, establishing specialized ramie-producing households and dedicated procurement stations. Sixteen such sites were set up within the county and nine in surrounding counties and townships, such as Sanyang in Yichun, Shishi in Yifeng, and Shuanglin in Fenyi, all maintaining direct procurement and sales relationships with the county foreign trade company. Aside from a small portion sold at markets, 80% of ramie cloth was centrally purchased and sold by the county foreign trade company and the county local products company, distributed to Guangdong, Shanghai, Liaoning, Wuhu, and Hankou, and exported to Japan, Korea, and South Korea. In 1986, 3,025 pieces of ramie were sold, including 2,760 for export. In 1988, 96,059 pieces were sold, a 131% increase from 1986. In 1986, the county first opened up external provincial ports for ramie exports, supplying 230,700 yuan worth of ramie directly to the Beijing port. In 1987, exports were also made through the Shanghai and Shenzhen ports, with a total of 4.0896 million yuan in direct ramie supply over four years. From 1989 to 1992, multi-channel exports via Hunan, Fujian, and Guangzhou generated 3.5204 million yuan in supply value. To accurately assess ramie specifications such as thread count, yarn quality, wire strength, internal spotting, and color, the county foreign trade company improved inspection technology by developing a “simple hand-cranked fabric inspection machine.” This device smoothly unfolds and rolls 20-meter-long bolts of ramie, facilitating easier operation, reducing processing time, improving quality inspection efficiency, and cutting the defective rate by 23.4%. In 1991, the chairman of Hong Kong’s Baixin Trading Company visited the Shuangqiao Export Ramie Cloth Factory twice to inspect and negotiate purchases on the spot. Korean clients also visited multiple times. The county foreign trade company established trade relations with over 30 ramie customers. From 1993 to 1994, the county foreign trade company independently sold 816,000 meters of plain linen ramie, equivalent to 34,000 pieces, and three containers of linen textile series, generating 3.897 million yuan in export supply value. From 1986 to 1995, the county’s total ramie export supply reached 5.7821 million meters, equivalent to 241,000 pieces, averaging 578,200 meters per year—an 8.6% increase compared to 1985.

　　 Starting in 1996, the county foreign trade company’s ramie business declined sharply, with only 103,100 meters sold that year—a 77% drop from 1985 and over 15 times less than the peak year of 1988. After 1997, the county foreign trade company ceased ramie marketing, with zero export supply. This decline was due to several factors: first, a significant price drop—the purchase price in the first half of 1996 exceeded 300 yuan per piece, up 2.8 times from 80 yuan in 1986, but the export price in the second half fell to 180–200 yuan per piece, 40% lower than the purchase price, resulting in mounting losses for the county foreign trade company; second, starting in 1996, higher-level foreign trade authorities imposed export quotas on ramie, which the county failed to secure—no active quotas, no extra-plan quotas, and no participation in regional bidding, despite having both clients and supply; third, the county’s specialized ramie trading company ceased operations due to heavy losses. A few former ramie sales staff, after being laid off, took key clients with them, causing missed opportunities and resulting in the county foreign trade company losing its entire share of the international ramie market.

　　 Starting in 1997, all marketing of Wanzi ramie shifted to private business owners, who supplied ramie directly to external markets and engaged in transit trade in other provinces such as Hunan and Guangxi, as well as in other counties within the province, generating foreign exchange for others. In 2000, the county’s total sales volume was 150,000 meters (equivalent to 6,818 pieces).