Social Classes In Ancient China

China has been seen as a land of mystery to us in the west. It has been able to withstand the change of the civilizations closest to it, such as India and Russia. It has also made itself a major player in the world economy. How did it become a civilization? There are 7 characteristics that a group of people need in order to be considered a civilization. They are: An urban focus, new political and military structures, a new social structure based on economic power, the development of more complexity in a material sense, a distinct religious structure, the development of writing, new and significant artistic and intellectual activity. China has accomplished all seven of these characteristics.
Having an urban focus meant that cities are formed. …show more content…
The Qin Dynasty also had major advancements in this area. Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi reconstructed the aristocrat and merchant class, because he felt threatened. He divided up their estates and land among the peasants, and he also taxed the peasants. This benefited the emperor because he was able to make a profit off of the land sold to the peasants. The role of the family during the Qin Dynasty was an important aspect of the social classes. A stable family system was based on obedient and hard working family members that served the emperor. The people of China at this time also practiced Bao-jia to better produce crops and cultivation. Another key ideal of the social classes at this point in Chinese History was the ideas of 5 relationships. They were that the son was subordinate to the father, the younger brother was subordinate to the elder brother, a proper relationship between friend and friend, wife was subordinate to her husband, and all family members were subject to the …show more content…
The first form of writing that we have found evidence of is called Jia-gu wen, it was seen in 1500-1000 B.C. The next form of writing seen in ancient China was Da zjuwan, seen during 1100-700 B.C. The form of writing that followed that is called Xiao Zhuan, and it is the predecessor for modern writing styles in China. The last form of writing is called Lis Shu, and is currently used in China. All of these forms of writing are calligraphy. Significant artistic and intellectual activity that has shown up throughout Chinese history are the painted pottery of the Yangshao and Longshan cultures, the irrigation of the Xia Dynasty, the 100 schools of Ancient Philosophy in Ancient Chinese History, the Great Wall of China from the Qin Dynasty and the Grand Canal from the Sui Dynasty (History of Chinese Writing