Civil service - The group of people who worked for the government. People had to pass a difficult examination to earn a job in the civil service.
Mongols - The nomadic peoples of the north who often raided China. Under Genghis and Kublai Khan they captured much of China for a period of time.
Three Ways - Refers to the three major philosophies of Ancient China: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Nelson, Ken. (2016).
The lives of slaves were the hardest of all. Many Chinese people were slaves. Most people who were slaves worked in the fields, the same as free people. Some slaves worked as servants in rich people's houses. The Emperor owned hundreds of slaves, and some of them worked for the government, collecting taxes or building roads. Some people were born slaves, because their mothers were slaves, and other people were sold into slavery to pay debts. Often, as in India and West Asia, children were sold into slavery to pay off their parents' debts.
Donn, n.d.
When girls grew up, they got married and left the house they had grown up in to go live in their husband's house, with his family. This was often hard, because girls got married young, and when they went to live in their husband's house they had to do whatever his mother told them to do.
Women in ancient China were inferior to men, but older people, both men and women, were greatly respected. Villages often had a "wise woman", who was a very old women, believed to have special gifts. Many people in the village, men, women, and children, might consult the wise woman for advice and help. Another way for a woman to gain importance was if her husband had died and she was the oldest living member of the family. That gave her power over the family as she was the oldest living member. But other than that, Confucius taught that women's roles were in the home. Their job was to look after the men and raise the children. Confucius said that women should not have their own ambitions. A woman's thoughts, suggestions, and opinions were not important.
Donn, n.d.
Most boys and girls in China did not go to school, but worked on their parents' farms, pulling weeds and planting seeds. Even rich girls did not go to school, but boys from rich families did. The boys worked very hard at school, because doing well on the state examinations was the only way to get political power.
The birth of a boy was always more important than the birth of a girl. Girls from poor families might be sold as servants to rich families. But kids in ancient China were loved. If a family had to give up a child, it was because they could not afford to feed them, not because they did not want them.
Kids lived with their parents, their grandparents, their aunts and uncles and cousins. They all lived in the same house and their house had a shrine they used to worship their ancestors.
Kids played with toys, like marbles and kites. They helped their parents in the fields, unless they had hired help to do that for them. The girls helped their mother around the house.
Donn, n.d.
Ancient China had a government that was run by dynasties. Different regions had their own dynasty run by Kings. A King becomes an Emperor when their dynasty becomes dominant. The Ancient Chinese people called their emperors "Sons of Heaven" because they believed that they were chosen by the Gods. Emperors became China's political, military and religious leaders.
Ashworth, n.d.
Scholars were seen as intelligent people who followed Confucius’ teachings, and educated people about morals and behaviors. They were the thinkers of the time and wrote poetry and published works on medicine, astronomy and mathematics. Their findings and thoughts are used today in modern times.
Ashworth, n.d.
Poor peasants and farmers were next on the hierarchy because of what they gave to the nation, they provided food to feed everyone.
Ashworth, n.d.
Skilled workers and craftsmen made useful items that helped people in their everyday life. They were like farmers, always helping others but instead making and building things like houses,clothes, jewellery and silk. The reason why there not as important as farmers was because they did not own land like most farmers.
Ashworth, n.d.
Merchants and women were at the bottom. Merchants were seen as low in the social order because they were only working for themselves and only making themselves rich. Women had to obey the head of the household usually her husband or father. Their job was to look after the house and children. A women had no choice on who she could marry and as this was arranged by the parents. Females were seen as so low and provided very little to a family unlike a son that parents would get rid of girl babies by leaving them by the side of the road or killing them. The only women who had any "value" were wives and daughters of the emperors.
Ashworth, n.d.