Search results
Learn about the four social classes in ancient China: shi, nong, gong, and shang. Find out how they were based on occupations, power, and status, and how they differed from each other.
Dec 22, 2023 · This video unpacks the social structure that existed during Ancient China. The roles and responsibilities of the emperor, shi, nong, going and shong are explained. The video also provides learners with further information to deepen their understanding of each level of the social structure.
The social structure of China has an expansive history which begins from the feudal society of Imperial China to the contemporary era. [1] There was a Chinese nobility, beginning with the Zhou dynasty. However, after the Song dynasty, the powerful government offices were not hereditary.
- Social Class, Clothing & Adornments
- Farming, Food & Drink
- Home Life, Games & Sports
- Religion
- Education & Healthcare
- Festivals
Silk is thought to have been invented c. 2696 BCE, when the goddess Leizu, wife of the supreme godShangti, was having tea and a cocoon fell into her cup. As the cocoon unraveled, she saw it was all one thread and so planted mulberry trees for silkworms to spin their webs in to make silk. The nobles and royalty were the only people who could wear si...
The principal crop of China was rice. Rice grew best in the southern part of China in flooded fields, and so canals were dug to flood more fields throughout the country. Rice was so important that it was used to pay one's tax. Rice was eaten at every meal in some form and was even brewed to make wine. Wheat and other grains were also grown but were...
The Tea Ceremony was performed in one's home or garden where one would welcome guests. The home, just like today, was the center of the family's life. Women took care of the home while men worked outside of the house. Women, men, and children of the peasant classes all worked in the fields. Chinese homes differed, like anything else, depending on o...
Chinese religion began in the prehistoric age when people practiced a form of animism. This practice evolved into ancestor worship and the development of gods and goddesses who personified natural forces. The Tudi Gongwere earth spirits one needed to respect and honor at all times. They were the spirits of a certain place, sometimes the spirit of a...
Only males received an education in ancient China; which is why astronomers, who were highly educated, were always men. Girls were expected to stay home and learn how to be housewives and mothers. In the early days, young boys stayed home as well and helped with outdoor work, and only young men in their teens attended school and only those of the u...
There were national festivals, which everyone observed, regional festivals, and local festivals. A local festival might be a celebration of the birthday of some famous citizen who had done good works for the town or a poet or artist. Regional and local festivals could also be held to honor the Tudi Gong. Taoist festivals were observed to cleanse a ...
- Emily Mark
Learn how the Chinese people expanded and assimilated into a vast region, and how their society evolved from rural villages to complex dynasties. Explore the population growth, the social classes, and the cultural diversity of ancient China.
1 day ago · China - Cultural, Political, Social Changes: The years from the 8th century bce to 221 bce witnessed the painful birth of a unified China. It was a period of bloody wars and also of far-reaching changes in politics, society, and intellectual outlook.
May 17, 2018 · Emperors, government officials, nobles, peasants, merchants and slaves all had their role to play within Chinese society. This clip collection looks at each of these key groups, examining their daily life and the role law and religion played throughout society.
