SocialChina1

Sophi and Tyler The social structure, along with family life definitely had major impacts on Ancient China's history for a significant period of time. China's society was an agricultural society. China's upper class controlled large land estates (about 2% of total population), and the masses, which were the farmer-peasants, worked the land and produced a little more than what was needed for their own alimentation. During the Zhou Dynasty however, the peasants who provided the service to these land-lords got to control some of their own land, showing that even though there was social inequality, it did include some respect for the peasant masses. Often the property, especially in the southern rice region, was owned by a village or extended family. The Chinese social hierarchy was set up as; elite/land-owning aristocrats/bureaucrats (Mandarins), peasants and artisans, and the unskilled workers. Social status was inherited, yet there was opportunity to climb up the social ladder when given access to education. The integrity of Chinese society helps account for the durability of its values beliefs to outside influences despite its substantial isolation.

Family Life In just about all of the dynasties the life of a family in China was very similar, and although the status of women changed a bit over the course of time, it was pretty much the same in every other aspect. In ancient China, the family was run by the father, he was the boss of his wife and kids. (we found with a bit of research that when a woman became a widow, she was actually under the control of her eldest son) Women had a very minimal role as an authoritarian figure in ancient China, they were often mistreated and their status was downgraded. Men ran just about everything. Marriage was based on property relationships and it was assumed that marriage, and therefore subordination to men, was the normal condition for the vast majority of women. Women had to obey their husbands just as slaves did. Children were supposed to be obedient as well. The male children were the future inheritants of the family’s fortune and possessions, therefore the baby girls were valued much less than boys.A strange tradition that the Chinese had was to bind the feet of their daughters, which would make them deformed and even though it was hard to walk, they were very attractive to men. If a poor family was desperate enough, they would sell their daughter to a richer family as a slave in order to stay alive. Only boys went to school and attempted to learn calligraphy (of course only a small portion of them were able to) and if they didn’t go to school they would work in the fields. In school they also had to learn the teachings of Confucius.