Just imagine people who run multiple companies and are billionaires, but this society ignores them every day. If they were a billionaire in ancient China, they would be included in the "Four Occupations" caste system.
This system divided society into four: Shi, Nong, Gong, and Shang. Shi refers to Scholar; they are in the top position in social rank. Nong refers to farmers; they are next to the Shi in social rank. Gong refers to Artisans and cr; they are next to the Gong, and finally Shang refers to merchants and traders; they are in the bottom position, and people are humiliated by their social status.
In ancient China, the order of the pyramid was arranged based on people's contributions to the country. Let us discuss the caste system in the following content.
History of Ancient China's Caste System:
From the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) to the Qing Dynasty (1912), the caste system emerged in China's class hierarchy. That is divided into four classes based on their occupation. The emperor, at the top of all classes, was called the “Son of Heaven”.
Following them are the four classes. First, the Shi were next in the class hierarchy; they were Scholars and Officials and held the top position in the caste system because they upheld moral values and noble qualities. Following them, Nong was in the next position in the class hierarchy; they were Farmers, because they produce food and are the Backbone of national civilization. Following them, the Gong were next in the class hierarchy; they were Artisans and Craftsmen who produced useful goods. Following them, the Shang were at the bottom of the class hierarchy; they were the Merchants and Traders, because they didn't produce anything; they just bought and sold.
Why Shi was at the Top of the Class System:
The top of the class hierarchy is the Shi, Scholar class. They were the most important to civilization in ancient times; they could serve the public, serve as government officials, maintain moral character, and receive an Education. These uphold them more than other classes. They are intellectual and think broadly, so they got respect from the people's side. But nowadays, not all scholars possess sufficient intellect and wit in both their careers and personal lives. Some of the scholars are doing something immoral in society. Most scholars face barriers in finding a perfect job, and the biggest irony is that scholars are learning to trade and do business in a modern way. Most scholars do not understand the concept; they mug up the content for the examination. In ancient times, scholars were inspirational to the normal people, but now it's totally reversed.
Nong, Backbone of the Civilization:
The second-highest position in the class hierarchy was Nong, Farmer. They produce food and are the Backbone of civilization; they provide value to the country by leading without scarcity, and they work hard to supply food to sustain the world, so they are in second place in the class hierarchy in ancient times. But now, farmers have lost their Backbone, but no one considers this a serious issue. Slowly, the world is moving towards disaster. Who saves us from hunger, but we didn't consider their hunger. Nowadays, they don't receive respect from people; they are often faced with many rejections and insults from the government and society.
Gong, Skilled Manufacturers with Creativity:
Gong, Artisans, and Craftsmen are placed in the third class hierarchy. They transform primary products into creative goods for people. They are masters at inventing new things, and they make valuable contributions to society by creating goods, so they are in the third position in the class hierarchy. This class includes carpenters, potters, blacksmiths, weavers, silk producers, scientists, etc. They invent new things and manufacture goods using their skills and creativity, but at the end of the day, merchants buy the product at a lower cost and sell them at a higher cost. Merchants become wealthy after selling the goods, but artisans struggle in poverty.
Wealth cannot receive respect:
One of the most complicated occupations is the Shang, Merchants, and Traders in "Four Occupations", because in ancient times, they were at the bottom of the class hierarchy; they could satisfy their needs and desires through their wealth, but they couldn't get respect from society. The main reason is that they didn't contribute to the civilization. They buy the product at a low price and sell it at a high price.
They focused on the profit itself. Nowadays, respect and social hierarchy are mostly based on wealth. In modern days, everything must change in reverse order. Merchants collect manufactured goods and farmers' cultivated products at a lower cost and sell them at a higher cost. They are successful economically, but they have failed to gain social respect.
The greatest irony is that wealth doesn't matter for respect. Ancient Chinese focused on social prestige. Scholars had higher social prestige than merchants. But now, the Merchant has given scholars a job opportunity to survive in society.
Over to You:
Before ending this part, I want to share a final word about this caste system. In this system, it is totally different from the caste system of other countries. What is your opinion about ancient China's caste system? And what do you think about the wealthiest class in the lower level of the social class hierarchy? Share your thoughts and your perspective on the caste system in the comment box.
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