China Social Classes History

 

The hierarchic social class structure developed in ancient China was during the late Zhou Dynasty and is considered a central part of the Fēngjiàn (封建) social structure of circa 1046-256 BCE developed by Confucian and Legalist philosophers’ classification of the Chinese people into four broad categories. Fēngjiàn was a decentralized system of government and was the political ideology of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. Following are the four broad categories social classes of ancient China from the highest and going to lowest social strata.