Question:
Were children born into royalty and high placed citizenship or did every Emperor and high placed citizen have to work their way to the top of the social structure?
Answer:
The title of Emperor was traditionally passed on from father to son in each dynasty. The younger brother of the Emperor could also take his place if the Emperor didn't have a male baby, whereas high paced citizens worked their way to that title, maybe being born into a farming family etc..
Reference:
RT Exchange. (2013). Ancient Civilizations - Egypt & China.Available: http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=6b3f8c2a-5dad-46dd-abb8-73af2f3f6118. Last accessed 13th Oct 2014.
Classes in the Ancient Chinese Hierarchy:
There are 5 classes in the Ancient Chinese social structure, the Shang, Gong, Nong and Shi classes and the emperor. The emperor and his family were always at the top level of the hierarchy, these people were respected the most, owned the largest amount of land and ruled over all the people in the entire kingdom.
The Shi class had certain privileges that other people were not given, such as they had the right of riding in chariots and commanding the battles from their mobile chariots. The people from this class were also appointed in civil services of the country.
The Nong class consisted of peasants farmers, the farmers produced the food to sustain the whole society. They were considered as part of higher ranks compared to craftsmen and traders. Although they did not have the privileges that the Shi class was given but farmers were considered as the valuable members of society. They were responsible for producing food and crops for themselves and the society.The Gong class was composed of craftsmen and artisans, they were considered as the labors. They were like farmers but did not possess the land that farmers had, therefore engaging themselves in developing goods and crafts.
The Shang class the the lowest level in the Ancient Chinese social structure, it consisted of traders and merchants. These people could not achieve good status in the society so they were placed on the lowermost levels of the social structure. They had significant amount of wealth but because they indulged themselves in trading and transporting goods that were made by the other people, they were not considered as respectable people in the society.
Were children born into royalty and high placed citizenship or did every Emperor and high placed citizen have to work their way to the top of the social structure?
Answer:
The title of Emperor was traditionally passed on from father to son in each dynasty. The younger brother of the Emperor could also take his place if the Emperor didn't have a male baby, whereas high paced citizens worked their way to that title, maybe being born into a farming family etc..
Reference:
RT Exchange. (2013). Ancient Civilizations - Egypt & China.Available: http://exchange.smarttech.com/details.html?id=6b3f8c2a-5dad-46dd-abb8-73af2f3f6118. Last accessed 13th Oct 2014.
Classes in the Ancient Chinese Hierarchy:
There are 5 classes in the Ancient Chinese social structure, the Shang, Gong, Nong and Shi classes and the emperor. The emperor and his family were always at the top level of the hierarchy, these people were respected the most, owned the largest amount of land and ruled over all the people in the entire kingdom.
The Shi class had certain privileges that other people were not given, such as they had the right of riding in chariots and commanding the battles from their mobile chariots. The people from this class were also appointed in civil services of the country.
The Nong class consisted of peasants farmers, the farmers produced the food to sustain the whole society. They were considered as part of higher ranks compared to craftsmen and traders. Although they did not have the privileges that the Shi class was given but farmers were considered as the valuable members of society. They were responsible for producing food and crops for themselves and the society.The Gong class was composed of craftsmen and artisans, they were considered as the labors. They were like farmers but did not possess the land that farmers had, therefore engaging themselves in developing goods and crafts.
The Shang class the the lowest level in the Ancient Chinese social structure, it consisted of traders and merchants. These people could not achieve good status in the society so they were placed on the lowermost levels of the social structure. They had significant amount of wealth but because they indulged themselves in trading and transporting goods that were made by the other people, they were not considered as respectable people in the society.