There were four social classes in ancient China including noble, farmers or peasants, artisans or craftsmen, and merchants. The four social classes were based on the teachings of Confucius.
Beginning about the fourth century B.C., ancient texts describe Chinese society as divided into four classes: the scholar elite, the landowners and farmers, the craftsmen and artisans, and the merchants and tradesmen.
On the Chinese web, a popular (anonymous) post currently making the rounds offers a revealing dissection of China's current class structure, dividing society into nine tiers, describing the first three tiers as the “ruling class” and the bottom three as the “underclass.” The division is based on political power and ...
Main Idea: Chinese society had three main social classes: landowning aristocrats, farmers, and merchants. Classes in Chinese Society China's aristocratic families owned large estates in early China.
Citizens of the Shang Dynasty were classified into four social classes: the king and aristocracy, the military, artisans and craftsmen, and peasants. Members of the aristocracy were the most respected social class, and were responsible for governing smaller areas of the dynasty.
The poorest class in Shang society were the peasants, who were mostly farmers. Some scholars believe they functioned as slaves; others believe they were more like serfs.
The Shi (Nobles, scholars, and officials)
This social group was the ruling class and was at the top of the social scale. They held most of the power in society. The shi class was made up of the governors of the regions of China, such as Zhao, Qin and Wei.
There were four social classes in ancient China including noble, farmers or peasants, artisans or craftsmen, and merchants. The four social classes were based on the teachings of Confucius. The four social classes were to allow people to live in harmony and balance.
The social hierarchy in Ancient China was paramount. Emperors, government officials, nobles, peasants, merchants and slaves all had their role to play within Chinese society.
The lowest class, according to ancient Chinese society, was merchants and traders. Merchants and traders, because of their occupation, could sometimes make far more money than either farmers or artisans, but were considered lower than the other two as they did not produce anything of worth.
The People's Republic of China does not allow freedom of association in general; in particular, it does not allow a free choice of membership with trade unions and political parties.
Millionaires are defined as individuals with personal wealth of over 10 million yuan, and super-rich are defined as individuals with personal wealth of 100 million yuan or above. One yuan equals approximately 0.14 U.S. dollars and 0.13 euros (as of July 2023).
The Upper Classes
The highest echelons of Chinese political power, namely the Politburo that collectively makes decisions for the country, as well as the most influential businessmen in the country, make up this group.
National surveys conducted in the early 21st century estimated that some 80% of the population of China, which is more than a billion people, practice some kind of Chinese folk religion; 13–16% are Buddhists; 10% are Taoist; 2.53% are Christians; and 0.83% are Muslims.
On 1 October 1949, Mao formally proclaimed the creation of the People's Republic of China. The Communist victory had a major impact on the global balance of power: China became the largest socialist state by population, and, after the 1956 Sino-Soviet split, a third force in the Cold War.
Chinese society represents a unity of state and social systems held together by institutionalized links. In traditional times, linkage between state and social systems was provided by a status group, known in the West as the gentry, which had substantive attachment both to the state and to a social system.
The Qing dynasty, much like previous dynasties, used an "official rank" system (品; pǐn). This system had nine numbered ranks, each subdivided into upper and lower levels, in addition to the lowest "unranked" rank: from upper first pin (正一品), to lower ninth pin (從九品), to the unranked (未入流), for a total of 19 ranks.
Han China was comprised of a three-tiered social system. Aristocrats and bureaucrats were at the top of this hierarchy followed by skilled laborers like farmers and iron workers. The bottom tier consisted of unskilled laborers such as servants and slaves.
The largest group, the Han, makes up over 92% of China's vast population, and it is the elements of Han civilization regraded as "Chinese culture".
The Zhou Dynasty used a feudal system known as "fengjian," which translates as "establishment," to create a power hierarchy. Below the king were nobles, then a gentry upper-class, and merchants. Laborers and peasants were the largest population and made up the bottom of the social order.
During the era of Northern and Southern Dynasties, just as in earlier times, there were two categories of slaves. The first comprised official slaves, those owned by the government, and the second, private slaves, owned by individuals. These two types differed little in either social status or legal position.
China's Preeminence under the Song (960-1279) and Commercial Development. The Song dynasty (960-1279) follows the Tang (618-906) and the two together constitute what is often called "China's Golden Age."
The Zhou Dynasty collapsed slowly, over a period of hundreds of years, as the feudal rulers of outlying provinces gained more authority. Eventually, these states acquired more power than the king, beginning a period of conflict that is known, appropriately, as the Warring States Period.
At the heart of China's caste system is that country's unique household registration (hukou) system. Chinese emperors had employed household registration for centuries to keep track of where citizens lived, but not to prevent them from migrating.