The lower classes of ordinary people were divided into two categories: one of them the good "commoner" people, the other the "mean" people. Slaves, Servants, Prostitutes, Entertainers, Low Level Government Employees and Military Forces were part of the mean class.
There were four social classes in ancient China including noble, farmers or peasants, artisans or craftsmen, and merchants. The four social classes were based on the teachings of Confucius. The four social classes were to allow people to live in harmony and balance.
The poorest class in Shang society were the peasants, who were mostly farmers. Some scholars believe they functioned as slaves; others believe they were more like serfs.
Beginning about the fourth century B.C., ancient texts describe Chinese society as divided into four classes: the scholar elite, the landowners and farmers, the craftsmen and artisans, and the merchants and tradesmen.
The Nong (Peasant farmers)
These people were peasants who lived in small rural communities whose main job was the work on the farms throughout China. However, the farms were all owned by members of the shi class, and the peasants were required to work their fields in return for military protection.
The lowest class, according to ancient Chinese society, was merchants and traders. Merchants and traders, because of their occupation, could sometimes make far more money than either farmers or artisans, but were considered lower than the other two as they did not produce anything of worth.
The Upper Classes
At the very top of the Chinese class structure are the elites. This includes not only political elites but also the wealthy and the popular.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants; each of the four peoples had their respective profession. Those who studied in order to occupy positions of rank were called the shi (scholars). Those who cultivated the soil and propagated grains were called nong (farmers).
The lowest class, according to ancient Chinese society, was merchants and traders. Merchants and traders, because of their occupation, could sometimes make far more money than either farmers or artisans, but were considered lower than the other two as they did not produce anything of worth.
Against the background of institutional transformation, China has a special social stratification structure. The socio-economic resources and living needs of different social classes are different, resulting in differences in the level of subjective well-being and the influencing factors for this.
During Zhou rule, the kings set up a social structure with three classes—the king and his family, noble families, and peasant families. Families of each class were expected to show their virtues by offering services to the other classes. The nobles got their land from the king.
Shang society can be divided into six social classes. These were the king's clan, nobles, craftspeople, traders, farmers, and slaves.
Xinjiang has the highest poverty rate, which is 9.9 per cent. Gansu, Guizhou, Tibet and Yunnan also have a poverty rate above 7 per cent. The average poverty rate in western rural areas in 2017 was 5.6 per cent, much higher than in the eastern and central regions.
The majority of the people in Ancient China were peasant farmers. Although they were respected for the food they provided for the rest of the Chinese, they lived tough and difficult lives. The typical farmer lived in a small village of around 100 families. They worked small family farms.
Peasants were farmers and had not much money, but China needed them to produce food for everyone. Craftspeople made many things for the upper classes. They created tools, weapons, furniture, and household goods.
From the Qin dynasty to the late Qing dynasty (221 B.C.E.- C.E. 1840), the Chinese government divided Chinese people into four classes: landlord, peasant, craftsmen, and merchant. Landlords and peasants constituted the two major classes, while merchants and craftsmen were collected into the two minor.
Girls learned how to do needlework, spin thread, weave fabric, and sew. They also learned what they needed to do during special ceremonies, how to take care of everyone else, and be good mothers. Many of these ideas were taught to girls using the Four Books for Women.
Girls couldn't go to school even if they had rich, important families. They stayed in the home with their mothers, learning how to work in and take care of the home and their family. Though they didn't have much education, their mothers often did teach them things like numbers, directions, and even how to read.
China's Middle Class – Growth, Policy, and Consumption. China is home to the largest middle-class cohort in the world. As the country underwent a period of rapid economic transformation, its middle class emerged as a key driver of its economic development.
Class size varies significantly within countries. The biggest classes in primary education are in Chile and China, with 30 or more students per classroom, whereas in Estonia, Latvia and Luxembourg classes have less than 17 students on average.
Breakdown of annual middle class household income in China 2021-2022. As of January 2022, the largest share of Chinese middle-class families had an annual income of between 100 thousand and 300 thousand yuan per year. According to the same survey, almost 90 percent of respondents have at least one child.
Defining the Lower Class
When used by social scientists, the lower class is typically defined as service employees, low-level manual laborers, and the unemployed. Those who are employed in lower class occupations are often colloquially referred to as the working poor.
The underclass is the segment of the population lowest in a class hierarchy. The underclass is the social class below the working class. The term was popularized in the second half of the 20th century.
The "gentry", or "landed gentry" in China was the elite who held privileged status through passing the Imperial exams, which made them eligible to hold office.
Shenzhen, a city in southeastern China, is one of the billionaire capitals of the world. The city is home to some of China's wealthiest people, many of whom founded massive tech companies. But there's also a dark side: Most residents cannot afford to buy a house in Shenzhen.