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Daily Life

In ancient China, there are four social classes: aristocrats, farmers, artisans, and merchants. China's aristocrats were the wealthy families. They lived and owned large tile-roofed houses with courtyards and gardens. Large walls surround their property protecting the place from bandits. Inside, carpets are everywhere and are filled with nice, fine furniture. They also owned large plots of land. After the father dies, the land is divided equally and given to the male descendants. The Chinese were mainly farmers and the farmers rented their land from aristocrats. The farmers lived in country villages surrounded by mud walls. Past the mud walls were fields and the crops the farmers had. They used thee crops to help pay rent to the aristocrats. The north side of China is where farmers grew wheat and a type of grain called millet. In the south, they grew rice because the weather is warmer and wetter. The farmers also owned small plots of land to grow food for their own use. Farmers sometimes worked with the government by building roads for the public. In war time, farmers were forced to serve as soldiers. Artisans were skillful people who made useful objects. They made tools such as silk cloth, pots, metal work, etc. The skills they learned were from their father, then their sons taught it to their own sons. These people were kind, carefree, and loving people. They were the ones that everybody loved and were good friends with. Many were architects, artists, and woodworkers. Bankers, traders, and shopkeepers made up the merchant class. Merchants lived in towns with were they provided goods and services to the aristocrats. Most merchants became wealthy, but were not respected members of the society. People believed that merchants gain stuff only for themselves, not for the good of the society.

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