Social Structure and Hierarchy of Ancient China

Social structure was very important in Ancient China. A Chinese philosopher, Confucius taught that strict social order and discipline was the key to a successful society. Men and women in Ancient China were not equal; men were afforded far more privileges than women. Grandparents and elders were respected as the Chinese believed strongly in the wisdom of elders.

Below the Emperor, the social hierarchy of Ancient China could be divided into four classes. These were The Shi (Scholars and officials), The Nong (Farmers and peasants), The Gong (Artisans) and The Shang (Merchants).

The Emperor

The Emperor and his family were at the top of the social scale in Ancient china. Emperors considered themselves superior to the people around them as they believed that they were appointed by heaven. An emperor expected his subjects to be loyal and obedient.

The Shi

The Shi were scholars and were not very rich, but were respected because of their knowledge. Scholars gained their knowledge through attending schools and rigorous study in order to obtain extensive wisdom. The Shi contributed to Ancient China’s society because they were often the most educated and wise citizens and offered their knowledge and advice to the rest of the empire.

The Nong

The Nong were peasant farmers and were second- only to the officials and scholars. They were land owners like the Shi. The Chinese civilisation was heavily dependent on agriculture so The Nong class was a very important contribution to the society of Ancient China. They were taxpayers and landlords.

The Gong

The Gong were the craftspeople and Artisans of Ancient China. They were the class below the peasant farmers. The Gong people were responsible for creating pottery, cloth and other crafts. They were similar to the farmers because they created their own produce and products. The Gong were important to Ancient China’s society because they were skilled and produced products that others could not make. Their creations also spread ideas and culture throughout Ancient China, making them an important part of the society, but because they were not seen as an important contribution to China’s economy, they were not very socially respected.

The Shang

The Shang were considered to be part of one of the lowest classes of Ancient China’s society above the slaves. The Shang were the merchants and were responsible for selling and trading the goods made by the Nong and the Gong. Their low status was due to the fact that they did not actually produce anything and relied on the success of other classes. Despite have a low social status, the Shang were considerably wealthy; wealthy enough to buy land and render themselves a member of the Nong.

Slaves

Slaves made up only a small amount of Ancient China’s population and were mainly relatives of criminals or children that have been sold as slaves if they were poor.

Religion

Before philosophical and spiritual teachings of Confucius, Lao-Tzu and Buddhism, people worshipped personifications of nature, wealth and fortune. This developed into a religion. As Ancient China developed, three main religions were made. These were Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism.

Taoism

Taoism was founded by Lao-Tzu during the Zhou Dynasty in the 6th Century. Tao wrote his beliefs and philosophy in a book called the Tao Te Ching. Taoism was based around the concept of being one with nature and that all living things have a universal force flowing through them. Taoists did not believe in many laws, rules or government.

Confucianism

Confucianism is a religion based on teachings from a man called Confucius who was born in 551 BC. Confucius was a philosopher and thinker and thought of ways that people should behave or think. The main concepts of Confucianism are that you should treat others with respect, kindness and politeness. Unlike Taoists, Confucians believed in a strong, organised government.

Buddhism

Buddhism is based on the teachings of Buddha who was born in Nepal in 563BC. The main concepts and teachings of Buddhism are the concepts of Karma and rebirth. They also believe that the cycle of rebirth takes place once a person lives a proper life and that the person’s soul would enter nirvana.

Laws and Government

Ancient China had a government ruled by dynasties. The officials organised the control of the army, taxes and laws. Most of the laws in Ancient China came from moral teachings. The rest of the laws were orders passed down from the emperor. It was up to the officials to teach these laws.

Qin Shi Huang

Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of China. He was born as Ying Zheng in 259BC and was the son of the king of the Qin State. Two of his greatest achievements include The Great Wall of China and the Terra Cotta Warriors. He gained full power at the age of just 22. Qin Shi Huang wanted to unify all of the states using the strong power of the Qin State. Qin Shi Huang was responsible for creating the first unified, feudal and centralized empire in Chinese History in 221BC at the age of 38. This time is known as the Qin Dynasty which is from 221-206BC. Quin Shi Huang ruled until 210BC when he died.

The Terra-Cotta Warriors

The Terra Cotta Army is an army of thousands of warriors and horses found at Xi’an in the Shaanxi Province. Each statue has its own unique and individual characteristics. Qin Si Huang began constructing himself a 50-square kilometre tomb in which he will be buried and journey to the afterlife. It is believed that he built the Terra Cotta Army to guard and protect him in the afterlife.

The life-size statues are made of clay and separate moulds were used to create each body part. A procedure much like an assembly line was used to construct the figures. The army took around 720 000 people and 38 years to build!

Death and Funerary customs

The Yin and the yang

The Ancient Chinese believed that the soul of a deceased person was separated into two parts: The Yin and the Yang. The yin is associated with the grave and the yang is associated with the ancestral family tree. It was thought that the yin was buried with the body and that it arose and was judged in the ’10 courts of hell’. The Yang descended to the ancestral family alter, where it joined the other ancestors of the family.

The burial rituals performed in Ancient China were not particularly linked to any religious beliefs. The rituals at the burials were decided by the family of the deceased person.

Many goods were buried with the body in the coffin such as artefacts from the person’s life that were thought to comfort them in the afterlife. The better the grave goods, the more powerful and wealthy the person.

The Chinese had steps for the burial of their ancestors and relatives:

- The family would give a public notice of the death

- Offerings of food and material possessions were burnt to honour the deceased person’s legacy and the body was ritually bathed

- Priests and clerics would be payed to pray for the deceased person in the journey to the hereafter and the dead person’s name would be added to the tablet of the Ancestral family tablet.

- The body would be moved from the place of death to the site of the burial and the corpse would be sealed in a coffin. Music would be arranged and a procession throughout the village would carry the body to the burial site.

Contacts and conflicts within and/or with other societies:

There were many battles that Ancient China was involved in. Most of these battles were caused by the throne. All of the dynasties wanted the power and the thrown, which resulted in conflict. Some of the battles that were in Ancient China include the Battle of Banquan, Battle of Zhuolu, Battle of Mingtiao and the Battle of Muye.

The Battle of Banquan

The battle of Banquan was the first ever Chinese War. It took place in 2500 BC in the late ruling period of Shennong- the Yan Emperor. Tribes were moving from one place to another because of the increase in population which resulted in tribal skirmishes over land and property. The Yan emperor’s tribe invaded other tribes. The invaded tribes requested that the Yellow Emperor- Xuanyuan Shi launch a battle against the Yan emperor in Banquan. Banquan is located south-east of Zhuolu County in Hebei.

The Yellow Emperor and his tribe were victorious and the Yellow Emperor gained support from all tribes.

We hope you have learnt some interesting information on Ancient China!

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