REVISED Chapter 5: Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa
Chinese Society: Only men can move into positions of political power. The wealthy elite made up most of those who went on to hold great positions of power. Wu Di established an academy in 124 B.C.E where young men of promise could be trained in history, literature, art, and mathematics with an emphasis on confucian teachings before they were sent to the capital for examinations. The examination system provided a bit of limited mobility that the was not otherwise offered by the hierarchal structure of Chinese society. Men from common families could attend school if they were sponsored, perhaps by landowners, to bring honor to their village and enter the circle of elite officials. The examination system was a key factor unique to chinese society. Those who entered bureaucracy traveled in carriages, wore robes and headdresses, and given seals appropriate to their rank as doing so was considered of the greatest honor. In China, wealth meant land. in 210 B.C.E. most small-scale peasants and...