The social division of China included large five classes: the nobility and the four occupations. These included the shi (scholars), the nong (farmers), the gong (artisans), and the shang (merchants).
Three of the classes were considered fundamental to society: the nobles who ruled the country, the academics who ran it, and the farmers who made it possible.
This social division of China occurred during the Qin dynasty, established by Shi Huangti (221-206 BCE).
This dynasty remained until 1911, when it was overthrown by a revolution. This period is also known as the Imperial Era in China.
Main features
The social division in China was not one of socioeconomic classes. In this way, both income levels and social position varied widely across all classes.
The hierarchy was based on two principles. The first was that those who worked with their mind (scholars or academics) were more valuable and respectable than those who worked with their muscles. Therefore, the latter were to be ruled by the former.
The second principle was related to the utility for the State and society from the economic and fiscal point of view. Farmers occupied the next hierarchical position because they were a source of wealth.
Trade was considered of little use. As a consequence, merchants and merchants were in last place.
The activities of the merchants could be seen as dangerous for the environment and for social harmony.
Furthermore, they blamed the excessive accumulation of wealth for fluctuations in prices and availability of raw materials. Also, people believed that merchants were dishonest and greedy.
The main social classes of China
Nobles
The nobles belonged to the Qin dynasty, established by Shi Huangti (221-206 BCE), and ruled the country.
The shi
The first shi came from the ancient warrior caste, so they were not true scholars.
However, this caste gradually evolved into a bureaucratic academic elite in which the noble lineage was not as strong.
The scholars were not very wealthy, even those who owned land. Nevertheless, they were respected for their knowledge.
The nong
In ancient times, within the social division of China, the peasants ranked second in the hierarchy after the scholars.
Farmers were landowners, and for a long time, agriculture played a key role in the rise of Chinese civilization. Those who worked the land produced food to sustain society.
In addition, they paid the land tax, which was a source of state revenue for the ruling dynasties.
The gong
The gong were made up of those who had skills to make useful objects. This class was identified with the Chinese symbol that means work (功).
Like farmers, they produced essential objects, but most of them did not have their own land and therefore did not generate income.
However, they were more respected than merchants because the skills they had were passed down from father to son.
The shang
Although they could achieve significant wealth, the Shang were held in low esteem because they produced nothing. These were dedicated to transporting and marketing goods manufactured by others.
Sometimes traders bought land to be considered farmers and therefore had more respect in society.
Some paid a good education for their children to achieve scholarly status.
References
- Imperial China. (2014, December 10). The University of New Mexico. Retrieved on October 19, 2017, from unm.edu.
- Mark, JJ (2012, December 18). Ancient China. In Ancient History. Retrieved on October 19, 2017, from ancient.eu.
- Hansson, A. (1996). Chinese Outcasts: Discrimination and Emancipation in Late Imperial China. Leiden: Brill.
- Cohn, J. (201e). The Ancient Chinese. New York: Gareth Stevens Publishing.
- Ancient China's social classes (s / f9. Retrieved on October 19, 2017, from mmsamee.weebly.com.