Since ancient times, Ruian has been prosperous and its  commerce has been greatly developed. It has a1ways been a col1ecting and distributing center in south Zhejiang and north Fujian and an economic center in south Wenzhou. Modern industry of Ruian started early in the twentieth century, and Baihao Dairy Factory and Yumeng Iron Works had won fame in the regions south of the Yangtze River. Since reformation and opening, Ruian people have taken the lead in developing market economy, and trying joint - stock system management. Now Ruian has formed a setup of "Sma1l Commodity but Big Market" ,an advantage of "Little Capital but Broad Radiation" and a posture of"Sma1l Region but Great Deve1opment" and broken a peculiar path for economic development cal1ed "Wenzhou Mode ".

Early in 1990s, encouraged by the spirit of Deng Xiaoping's Speech during his southern inspection, Ruian people began to do pioneering work for the second time to build an economic powerful city. The economic total has been increased rapid1y,the economic quality has been improved and a good foundation for modernized construction has been 1aid in Ruian. Now such five main pillar industries as mechanica1 and electronic industry, automobile and motorcycle parts industry, knitting and shoe-making industry,fine chemical industry and plastic products industry, etc. and ten main block economic industrial set-ups have taken shape in Ruain. So far l23 enterprises have passed through the ISO 9000 Quality System Approva1, more than 40 kinds of products have occupied more than 30% the market of the products of the same kinds in the whole country and 15 kinds of products have been awarded the honourable titles of "Famous Trademark of Zhejiang" and "We1l- known Trademark of Wenzhou". The annual business volume of Ruian Commercial Town amounted to RMB 5.5 bi1lion yuan with its business extending a1l over the country. The national chain markets which take Ruian Commercial Town as the parent market have gradua1ly taken shape and the specialized markets have been changed into transnational or trans-regional business operations. Construction of modern agricultural model area is still making progress. A lot of agricultural developing bases and agricultural 1eading enterprises have been established in Ruian. A modern agricultural high-new technology mode1 area with an area of l00 thousand mu is under construction, which has been approved by State P1anning commission wil1 become the largest modern agricultural comprehensive deve1opment zone in Zhejiang Province.