History of China & Japan
1
HISTORY
Subject
:
History
Paper No.
:
Paper - VIII
History of China & Japan Unit No. & Title
:
Unit- 1
History of China
Topic No. & Title
:
Topic - 1
China & Imperialism during
19th Century
Lecture No. & Title
:
Lecture - 1
Social Classes
China
(For under graduate student)
&
Groups
in
FAQs
1.
What was the nature of Chinese society in premodern China?
Chinese society was highly stratified. The farmers
constituted eighty per cent of the population and
lived in the rural areas. The other twenty per cent of
the population, who lived in urban areas, represented
a composite stratum of scholars, gentry, officials,
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2
artisans, merchants and soldiers. Though stratified
the society was egalitarian in that there was no caste
system and the ladder of success was open to
everyone, regardless of family, birth or religion.
Individual
merit
based
on
scholarship
and
the
passing of the examinations formed the basis of
recognition.
2.
What was the structure of the family?
The basic unit of Chinese society was the family,
which was headed by the father who had complete
control over the other members and all decisions.
The family ties were based on Confucian precepts of
respect, filial loyalty and benevolence. Women had
no property rights enjoyed no independence, and
were expected to be obedient to their husbands.
Widows were generally expected not to remarry,
although the husband could take a concubine even if
his wife was alive.
History of China & Japan
3.
What
3
was
the
attitude
of
society
towards
merchants?
Merchants were considered to be at the bottom of
the social scale, however wealthy they might have
been.
Commercial
activities
were
regarded
as
beneath the dignity of the scholar-gentry and the
pursuit of profit was frowned upon by Confucian
concepts.
4.
Who were the scholar gentry?
The scholar gentry were those who had passed the
government
examinations
and
been
awarded
a
bureaucratic post. They were wealthy and influential
and enjoyed many unique privileges. They were
distinguished from the commoners in style of dress
and in embellishments. They were protected against
insults
from
commoners
and
interference
from
officials. If a member of the gentry was involved in a
legal suit he was not required to appear in person in
court and could send his servant instead. They were
exempt from manual service and excused from
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4
paying poll tax. They were the intermediary agents
between the local magistrate and the people.
5.
What was the nature of the duties performed
by the scholar-gentry?
The gentry financed the construction and repair of
public works like bridges, ferries, dikes, dams,
irrigation systems and dredging of rivers. They also
contributed to the upkeep of local temples and
shrines and were involved in local charity and
welfare. They also helped to solve civil disputes out
of
court.
The
gentry
considered
themselves
guardians of the cultural heritage. Moreover in times
of
unrest
and
turmoil
it
was
the
gentry
who
organized local militias to protect the locality. The
indeed constituted the most important single group
in Chinese society.
6.
What was the structure of the examination
system?
The ability to compose the ‘eight-paragraphed’ or
‘eight legged’ essay was essential to success in the
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5
examinations. This essay demonstrated a formal and
rigid style of writing, requiring great literary skills but
no profound knowledge. Successful examinees had to
excel in rhyme and diction as well as in calligraphy
and poetical expression. The examinations were
conducted on the district, provincial and metropolitan
levels. Extreme care was taken in the examination
hall to avoid corruption. All papers written by the
candidates were anonymous.
7.
What was the final stage of the examination?
The emperor with the assistance of fourteen ranking
officials took personal charge of the final stage of the
examination. The examiners selected the best of the
answer
papers
and
the
emperor
indicated
his
preference and ranking of the candidates into three
groups in order of merit with a vermilion brush.
8.
What were the main concepts that constituted
Confucianism?
Confucius was more interested in how society would
benefit from a return to the ancient way rather than
History of China & Japan
the
6
supra-human
realm.
He
felt
that
good
government was fundamentally a matter of ethics,
and that the ruler’s virtue and the contentment of
the people, rather than power should be the measure
of political success. The idea is expressed in the
statement, “Let the ruler be a ruler, the subject a
subject, let the father be a father and the son a son.”
Confucius was China’s first great moralist and the
founder of a great ethical tradition in a civilization
which came to concentrate on ethical values.
9.
How did Confucius respond to political needs of
his age?
The bureaucracy that was emerging in China needed
a
political
philosophy
which
Confucian
ideas
admirably supplied. Confucius never questioned the
legitimacy of hereditary power. He also assumed that
men of superior learning had the right to tell the
rulers how they should conduct themselves and their
government. He emphasized the need for rulers to be
benevolent and to set a moral example before his
subjects.
The
scholar
gentry
ensured
that
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Confucianism
7
remained
the
guiding
principal
of
society and state. Confucian ideas however became a
drawback when China needed to reform itself with
modern reforms in the face of western infiltration.
10. What were the Confucian precepts relating to
women?
The rulers of China inherited the legacy of Confucius
and formulated the “three obedience” and “four
virtues”. The former required that a woman must
obey the father when young, obey the husband when
married, and obey sons when widowed. The “four
virtues” were: A woman should possess the feudal
moral ethics, her speech should conform to the
feudal ethical code, her clothing should suit feudal
customs and she should be able to do household
chores and wait on parents-in-law, husband and
sons.