Rice refers to the seeds without rice husk removed, which belongs to the common rice subspecies in the subgenus of Gramineae common cultivated rice in botany. Humans have identified 22 kinds of rice, but the only one used for bulk trade is ordinary rice.

China is one of the countries with the longest history of rice cultivation and the richest rice genetic resources. Carbonized rice unearthed in Hemudu, Zhejiang, Luojiajiao, Hunan and Jia Hu, Henan confirmed that China has a cultivation history of at least 7,000 years and is one of the origins of cultivated rice in the world.