Although both Classical India and China developed unique approaches to developing aspects of society and government, some similarities inevitably existed. Cultural diffusion was partly responsible for this, as trade and Buddhist ideals influenced each culture directly and indirectly. The Chinese and Indian civilizations executed similar practices and beliefs, such as the idealistic role of women, wide divisions between social classes, and the influence of Buddhism. However, discrepancies existed between the rigidity of hierarchy and gender roles, and the impacts of religion and philosophy in government.
While India focused more on religion, China leaned towards secularism. In Classical India, Hinduism was widely popular. The brahmins, or priests, would hold immense power and be at the top of the caste system. Alongside the elected chiefs, brahmins
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Generally, there were a large amount of peasants and laborers at the bottom, and ultimately few people could hold power. India was governed more strictly than China through the caste system, where one would be born into a strict socioeconomic level, and there was no room for movement. Marriage and interactions were restricted to people in one’s class. On the other hand, China’s social hierarchy was more forgiving, as even peasants had the opportunity to move to higher classes through civil service examinations. Furthermore, the religions and philosophies of each region reflected differently on how some groups were organized. For example, merchants in China had a different status than of merchants in India. In China, Confucian values stressed the moderation of desires, therefore, moneymaking was not popular. Merchants were at the bottom of the class and were often shunned by society. In contrast, India valued its’ merchants and they were often in higher castes. Overall, these differences in who was valued in society depended heavily on the beliefs of the
Both China and India used social hierarchy systems, but they were used differently. India used a very strict system called Varna, or the caste system. People only associated with people in their class. Marriage outside of your class and helping people in lower classes was absolutely forbidden. People couldn’t even eat or drink with people outside of their class. The Chinese rules of social hierarchy were very different. The Chinese
3. a) Religion – Han China’s political system was directly influenced by Confucianism, and India’s political system correlated with Hinduism
There are two civilizations that were established in “Before Christ” (B.C.) out of many, they were Greece and China. Greece was established around 2000 B.C. by the Mycenaean and China was established around the 21st century B.C. which was the Xia Dynasty. Each of these civilizations have their similarities and differences. Three of the major similarities each of these cities have are government, army, and culture, even though they have that in common when you go into full detail they have a lot of differences too. In this paper you will have a better understanding on how these two civilizations are alike and unlike.
During Classical period (600 B.C.E - 600 C.E), religion and beliefs had a big impact on society and culture development. They helped the societies create more special characteristics, and bring social order in the societies. Hinduism in India, and Confucianism in China, both did help to influence and improve the societies deeply. Both of them introduced their moral rules, and added classes system, but they both had differences on their goals of people’s individual responsibilities, and also individuals focus.
Arguably, the ancient Chinese and Mesopotamian civilizations were some of the most powerful of their time. The isolationist attitude of China led to them developing a unique culture, one that can be easily contrasted to that of Mesopotamia, which had an outgoing nature. The main points of comparison are in their religious beliefs, their political systems, and their social ideals.
In ancient India and China a social system was developed to separate the society into levels. This social system is called a caste system. Which caste level you belong to was determined by your occupation and family origin. If you were born the son of a king your life was grand. But, if you were born to a farmer you are a farmer for life. Your birth determines where you fall in the caste system, and you live according to the rules. Both ancient India and China had the caste system. Ancient India and China had similarities and differences in the caste system.
Social structures, the social arrangement shedding light on the class division, both share some similarities and bear some differences in the Hindu civilization, Bantu peoples, and the Aztec society. Highly influenced by the local religions, these distinctive social structures developed gradually, forming inveterate rigid classes. Each class bears different responsibility in the society; concomitantly, the extreme division caused huge wealth disparity. To begin with, so skillfully did the societies form rigid class systems with different names and structures that actions beyond the limitation of a class should be severely punished. However, under the names laid the similar essence distinguishing the lowest and highest class members based primarily on
In this essay you’ll be reading about the social organization of two of the world’s oldest civilizations Egypt and China. Both empires had a fascinating social structure, views on religion and how women were treated in their society.
China and India were two classical civilizations from 1000 B.C.E. to 500 B.C.E. The classical civilization differed from the yellow river valley civilization in many ways. While China was under the power of Qin, they followed the laws of legalism, after the death of Qin, the Chinese dynasty collapsed. In classical India the Buddha held the highest religious power. The secondary religion was Hinduism, which Buddhism developed from. The classical civilizations advanced in knowledge, technologies, weapons, and grew a larger population. Because of
The ancient civilizations of India and China were possibly the most advanced of their time. Both countries had much to offer in that time including new technology, governments, religions, and items to trade. The two countries have and had had many similarities and contrasts.
One of the first cultural differences evident in Chinese and American society today is the social structure of each nation. Chinese social structure today is a vestige of the imperialism that existed in China formally from the Qin Dynasty, which began in 221 BCE, to the Qing Dynasty, which ended in 1912. This imperial system evolved slightly over time, but ultimately remained very uniform. In imperial China, society was stratified into distinct classes: landlord, peasant, craftsmen, and merchant (3). The landlords and the peasants made up a large majority of the citizens of China, while the craftsmen and merchants represented a much smaller fraction of the country’s populace.
China and India’s economic structures were remotely similar because they were adapted to accommodate the people’s needs. Like most agricultural societies at the time, early Chinese and Indian civilizations centered around river valleys such as the Huang He (in present-day China) and Indus (in present-day India) rivers, which featured fertile land and plenty of water used to grow food and expand the population along the river.
The caste system in India allowed for individuals to work for their caste, whereas in China, citizens worked for the benefit of their emperor. In India, the caste system was the platform for social structure. The caste system placed individuals into social and economic groupings, and required that they follow and work certain tasks designated to the respective caste. One was to obey the rules of their caste, and if not, they should be punished. Due to the diversity of India, one’s duty is to their caste, not the emperor or ruler. On the other hand, China ruled with consolidated power. Each dynasty possessed
We can find many ethical and ideological ideas derive from ancient Asian philosophers and teachers. Since the ancient times China has been a multi-religion country because of the vase size. China is well known for Buddhism and Yin and Yang along with a few other.
Civilizations throughout history have operated under an organized system. This system, is known as social class, is needed in order for society to define roles, structure and political order are necessary. This ensures societal order and eliminates chaos. It is human nature to have hierarchy based on class standing and one could argue that social standings or class varies a great deal across cultures. This paper will examine different social structures across cultures and the impact social structure has on society.