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SOCIAL CLASSES
There are many different classes in Ancient China
Rulers
China was ruled by an emperor for over 2000 years. The first emperor was Qin Shi Huang who took the title in 221BC after he united all of China under one rule. The last emperor was Puyi of the Qing Dynasty who was overthrown in 1912 by the Republic of China.
Powerful Priests
Ancient China had a government ruled by dynasties, sometimes united under one dynasty but often competing dynasties in controlling different regions. Ancient china’s resources, large areas and large populations demanded a strong central government. When one of these regional dynasties became dominant their king would become the emperor.
Peasants
Peasants in ancient China were mostly farmers and merchants. Farmers were respected for the food they supplied to the nation, but merchants were considered especially lowly and were prohibited from wearing silk or riding in carriages. Farmers paid taxes on their crops and spent a month every year working for the government in the military or on construction projects.
Artisans
The Gong were those who had skills to make useful objects. This was the class identified by the Chinese character that stands for “labour.” They were like farmers in that they produced essential objects, but most of them did not have land of their own and so did not generate the revenue.Artisans could be government employed or self employed, and those that were most successful could become wealthy enough to hire apprentices or labourers that they could manage. Besides creating their own enterprises, the artisans also formed their own guilds.
Merchants
There was not a lot of respect for merchants and traders in ancient Chinese society. Though they could achieve significant wealth, they were held in low esteem because they did not produce anything, but rather transported and traded goods made by others. Sometimes merchants bought land in order to be considered farmers and therefore command more respect in society. Some would buy a good education for their descendants so that they could attain the status of scholars. Though traders, merchants, and peddlers were viewed as essential members of society, they were lowest on the four rungs of the ladder of ancient Chinese social hierarchy, due to popular perception of these people as greedy and immoral.
Slaves
Slaves, a sad group of people in the ancient world, occupied a large portion of the population in ancient China since 2,100 BC, when Xia Dynasty started. Slavery society last for about 1,800 years in China, with minor groups of slaves existed to 1950s in remote mountain areas in China. Before Xia Dynasty, people lived and worked together, led by the tribe leaders. During the prehistoric times – before the establishment of Xia Dynasty, people in China used simple stone tools.
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