Morphological differences between ramie & hemp: How these characteristics develop different procedures in Bast fiber production industries

This paper focuses on the morphological differences between ramie and hemp; the former produced in Hansan County and the latter produced particularly in An dong County. Hansan is well-known for ramie and Andong is distinguished by hemp production. Hence, the fabrics produced in these regions are named after the regions. How differences between these plants and their fibers led weavers to develop the distinctive yarn-making processes of bast fibers will be discussed.

On the Korean peninsula, Hansan County is located five to ten kilometers from the shore of the Yellow Sea on the west coast, and about 600m above sea level. An dong County is located to the east, across the country from Hansan, and is surrounded byhigh mountains, 800m above sea level. Consequently, there is more rainfall in Hansan County than in An dong County. Because Hansan County is on lower latitude than Andong County, the Hansan region is warmer than Andong; also it gets stronger, warmer wind from the Yellow Sea. Summer begins earlier in June and warm weather stretches out until late September, which allows for three ramie harvests throughout the year in Hansan. Both regions have the same type of soil, to which cultivation of both ramie and hemp is well-suited.

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This article was originally published for the 12th Biennial Symposium, Textile Society of America, 2010