What is the gong social class?
Asked by: Granville Tromp | Last update: February 16, 2026Score: 4.8/5 (64 votes)
The "Gong" (工) social class in ancient China referred to artisans and craftsmen, positioned above merchants (Shang) but below farmers (Nong) and scholar-officials (Shi) in the Confucian-based hierarchy, responsible for producing essential goods like tools, art, and textiles, sometimes enjoying wealth but having limited rights, with the character 'Gong' meaning labor or skill.
What was the gong class in ancient China?
The Gong (Artisans and craftspeople)
The third social class in ancient Chinese society was made up of artisans and craftspeople. The people in this group had particular skills required to make highly specialised items. Included in this group were armourers, metalworkers, and carpenters.
What are the 4 social classes?
While models vary, a common understanding of four social classes, especially in the U.S., includes the Upper Class, Middle Class, Working Class, and Lower Class (or Underclass), representing divisions by wealth, occupation, and lifestyle; historical models, like Confucian China's, also used four classes, such as officials, farmers, artisans, and merchants, but modern sociology often uses economic factors for contemporary analysis.
What are the 4 classes of Chinese people?
Ancient China's traditional social structure comprised four main classes, Shi (scholar-officials/gentry), Nong (farmers/peasants), Gong (craftsmen/artisans), and Shang (merchants/traders), ordered by perceived societal contribution, with scholars at the top guiding morality, farmers producing food, artisans making goods, and merchants, considered least productive, at the bottom. This hierarchical system, based on Confucian ideals, defined people's roles and status, though mobility was rare but possible.
Who was the lowest social class in China?
What were the main social classes of early China?
- Aristocrats and nobility formed the highest class beneath the Emperor. ...
- Farmers held a respected, yet difficult, position in society. ...
- Artisans often lacked land and sometimes even their own tools. ...
- Merchants were considered the lowest class in ancient Chinese society.
Ancient Chinese Society Explained | Shi - Nong - Gong - Shang - Emperor - Slaves
Is 3,000 USD a good salary in China?
Yes, $3,000 USD (around 21,000+ RMB) is a very good salary in most of China, offering a comfortable lifestyle outside of the most expensive first-tier cities like Shanghai or Beijing, where it's decent but requires careful budgeting, especially for housing. In smaller cities (Tier 2/3/4), it allows for significant savings and a good quality of life, while in Tier 1 cities, it's above average but housing costs can eat up a large portion.
Is there a rich class in China?
As of 2025, China was second in the world in total number of billionaires, although this number has been falling since its peak around 2020, and second in millionaires with 4.1 million according to Statista. Public social expenditure in China was around 10% of GDP.
What are the black classes in China?
The "Five Black Categories" (Chinese: 黑五类; pinyin: Hēiwǔlèi) were classifications of political identity and social status in Mao era (1949–1976) of the People's Republic of China, especially during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976); these categories include landlords, rich farmers, counter-revolutionaries, ...
What are the two kinds of Chinese?
Mandarin and Cantonese are the two most spoken Chinese varieties used by 900 million and 62 million speakers respectively. There are five other main varieties: Wu, Xiang, Gan, Hakka, and Min.
Is Chinese a hard class?
The FSI ranks languages for English speakers. Category I languages — Spanish, French, Italian — take 600-750 hours. Category V languages — just Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, and Arabic — take around 2,200 hours. So yes, Chinese is one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn.
How do you tell what class you are?
In 2022, the national middle-income range was about $56,600 to $169,800 annually for a household of three. Lower-income households had incomes less than $56,600, and upper-income households had incomes greater than $169,800. (Incomes are calculated in 2022 dollars.)
What is the upper class in the US?
The upper class in the United States, typically representing the top 1 to 5 percent of households by net worth, has seen significant growth in wealth since the 1980s.
Does social class still exist?
The first point to address concerns the supposed disappearance of the class system. As recent sociological research has conclusively shown, the class system in the United Kingdom is very much still in existence, albeit in a way that differs from the more traditional forms that were based primarily on occupation.
What are the four noble professions?
In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi describes the four noble professions: Warrior, Farmer, Artisan, and Merchant. Each demands mastery, but together—they shape the soul. I didn't just read about them. I've lived them.
How many social classes are there in China?
Four classes
In his On the People's Democratic Dictatorship speech he defined the Chinese people as consisting of four social classes: the working class, the peasantry, the urban petty bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie.
What are the four Confucian classes?
Later, the Chinese adopted the teachings of Confucius, resulting in a socio-economic class structure known as the four occupations. These occupations were the gentry-scholars, the artisans, the peasant farmers, and the merchants.
Which is the 3 toughest language in the world?
There's no single "third hardest" language, as difficulty is subjective, but Japanese, Arabic, and Korean consistently rank among the toughest for English speakers due to complex writing systems (Japanese's three scripts), intricate grammar (Arabic's dialects, Korean's honorifics), and unfamiliar sounds/structures. Other contenders often cited include Hungarian (complex grammar/cases), Finnish (agglutination), Basque (language isolate), and Navajo (unique sounds/SOV structure).
How to say in Chinese 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10?
To say 1-10 in Mandarin Chinese, you use: 一 (yī), 二 (èr), 三 (sān), 四 (sì), 五 (wǔ), 六 (liù), 七 (qī), 八 (bā), 九 (jiǔ), and 十 (shí), with pinyin pronunciation guides like "ee," "arr," "sahn," etc., and their corresponding Chinese characters.
What is the rarest Chinese dialect?
There isn't one single "rarest" Chinese dialect, but Wenzhounese (part of Wu) is famously difficult and isolated ("Devil's language"), while languages like Manchu are critically endangered with very few speakers, making them among the rarest in terms of sheer numbers. Other rare and endangered varieties include certain Gan dialects, Fuzhounese, and various minority languages within China, highlighting that rarity can mean obscurity or near extinction.
What is China's version of Yakuza?
A triad (simplified Chinese: 三合会; traditional Chinese: 三合會; pinyin: sān hé huì; Cantonese Yale: sāam hahp wúi) is a Chinese transnational organised crime syndicate based in Greater China with outposts in various countries having significant overseas Chinese populations.
What are the 5 races of China?
China's "Five Races" refer to the Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui (Muslims), and Tibetan groups, symbolized by the colors red, yellow, blue, white, and black on the early Republic of China's "Five Races Under One Union" flag, representing unity, though it's now a historical concept as China officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, including the large Han majority and minorities like Zhuang, Uyghur, and Miao.
Is it true that 90% of people in China own their own homes?
Yes, reports consistently show that over 90% of households in China own their homes, making it one of the highest rates globally, driven by cultural values, reforms, and urbanization, though it's important to note that while they own the building, the land is state-owned, and younger generations face affordability issues.
Is $100 USD a lot in China?
Yes, $100 USD (around 700 CNY) is a significant amount for daily expenses in China, allowing for comfortable local eating and budget travel for days or even weeks, especially outside major cities, though it won't go as far for high-end shopping or luxury in Beijing/Shanghai, where costs approach Western levels for certain goods and services.
Is it cheaper to live in China or the USA?
Yes, the overall cost of living in China is generally much cheaper than in the U.S., especially for daily expenses like rent, utilities, and local food, but imported goods, cars, and certain electronics can be as expensive or more so, while average salaries are significantly lower, making major purchases harder to afford. Your experience depends heavily on your location (Tier 1 cities like Beijing/Shanghai are pricier) and lifestyle (local vs. expat-focused).
What is a wealthy salary in China?
In recent years, the wealth gap in China has grown as the affluent class continues to grow in size. According to a recent study, approximately 7 per cent of the population, around 100 million people, have an annual net income higher than ¥195,000 ($28,400) and can be considered relatively wealthy.