"Do not worry about holding high position; worry rather about playing your proper role". - Confucius, Analects |
CHINESE SOCIAL STRUCTUREAncient China, much like all civilizations at the time, had a rigid hierarchy. Confucian values supported this social pyramid because they supported norms and rules.
At the top of the hierarchy was the emperor, who ruled over the entire country. Below the emperor were the bureaucrats and politicians, however, during the Zhou dynasty, they did hold more power because the Zhou did not have a strong centralized government. The elites made up about 2% of ancient China's population and were highly respected. Below the bureaucrats was the majority of the population, the working class. The working class consisted of everyone from peasants to artisans. These people were more respected than merchants and soldiers because Confucian values frowned upon lives spent on moneymaking and violence. These lives were seen as lives of greed. Below the entire hierarchy were the "mean people" or those without meaningful skills. |
SOCIAL STRUCTURE DURING THE HAN DYNASTY
The society of the Han Dynasty can generally be described as highly structured with a clear definition of each social class. Han China was comprised of a social system with three sections. 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 emperor was at the top of the whole hierarchy.
At the top of the Han Dynasty social structure was the emperor. No subject was allowed to address the present emperor by name without the risk of punishment. Farmers and peasants made up the second tier of the Han dynasty’s social hierarchy. Their social status is considered to be above that of the laborers but well below those of the wealthier landowners. However, they were not looked down by their fellow gentrymen since the wealthy depended on them for their products. Third class citizens consisted mainly of artisans and craftsmen who were responsible making useful items such as swords and knives as well as creating luxury goods for the wealthier class. They also belong to the second tier of the society. Merchants belonged to the third tier along with the commoners and the servants. They were viewed as lowly by scholars and registered merchants were made to wear white as an indicator of their lowly status. Slaves make up about 1% of the dynasty’s whole population. They can either be privately owned or state-owned. State-owned slaves were often given work in palaces and offices while privately-owned slaves often end up doing domestic services and even farming. (Source for this section)
At the top of the Han Dynasty social structure was the emperor. No subject was allowed to address the present emperor by name without the risk of punishment. Farmers and peasants made up the second tier of the Han dynasty’s social hierarchy. Their social status is considered to be above that of the laborers but well below those of the wealthier landowners. However, they were not looked down by their fellow gentrymen since the wealthy depended on them for their products. Third class citizens consisted mainly of artisans and craftsmen who were responsible making useful items such as swords and knives as well as creating luxury goods for the wealthier class. They also belong to the second tier of the society. Merchants belonged to the third tier along with the commoners and the servants. They were viewed as lowly by scholars and registered merchants were made to wear white as an indicator of their lowly status. Slaves make up about 1% of the dynasty’s whole population. They can either be privately owned or state-owned. State-owned slaves were often given work in palaces and offices while privately-owned slaves often end up doing domestic services and even farming. (Source for this section)
Ancient Chinese women were subordinate to men for most of their lives. First she would obey her father, and after marriage she answered to her husband. According to K’ung Fu-tze, also known as Confucius, a woman’s duty was to look after her husband, sons and the other men in her life. As such, her greatest duty was to have a son. That didn’t mean that she shouldn’t be respected: her role as mother and mother-in-law was very important and she should be honored by her offspring.
Marriage was an arranged affair that was set up in such a way that both families would profit from the union. The bride’s family would provide her with a dowry. Because of this, the father of the bride always had the last say in who his daughter married; the girl in question wouldn’t have any input in this, regardless of whether she was a noble or a peasant girl. (Source) |
PATRIARCHY IN CHINA'S CLASSICAL ERAWomen in classical china had clearly defined roles. They were seen as clearly inferior, and often as property. Confucianism made it clear that women were meant to be subordinate to men and held a strict role in classical China. They were to obey their husbands. Marriages were arranged for girls by their parents, and their husbands often had authority over their wives and children.
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