Having start my own wuxia fiction in the fiction room, I came upon the problem of writing with use of social class in it. I tried to do some research on it, but came up pretty much with the same information I already knew.
although Chinese switch dynasties one another, i know that their social order is not much different right?
Anyway, what i want to know is two main thing. One is the general social class structure of a dynasty, such as the common people to the people living in the palace. Two, is the structure of power within the political government, staring from the emperor down.
some of these pages I found were somehow helpful, but not what i was really looking for. I was hopping for some more like a list, like the one in this image. http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/mid...ges/feudal.gif I think it would be much more helpful for any wuxia writers.
This is what i have so far, but correct me if I'm wrong:
The General Classification
The Noble Class on top:
Emperor (King - 王) : highest w/ the supreme authority
Dukes (諸侯) i think these are kings appointed by the emperors to overseer a certain amount of land
Great men (大夫): i think they are referring to the enuch, prime ministers, general, law enforcers, etc
Scholars/Gentry (士): people who own lands
Commoners (庶民) Class in the middle:
Farmers / Artisans : those who produce foods and important products for the empire
Merchants: they do not produce anything
Soldiers: sometimes ranked even lower because of their perceived expedibility (to think that they giving their lives to the country! T_T)
Slaves (奴隸)
The Palace Classification (Now I'm very stump at this one. Please help me out!)
Emperor - supreme authority
Duke? - not sure about this one
Crowned Prince
Princess
Prime Minister
Chief General
2nd in Command General, 3rd, etc.
Empress?
Dowager?
Concubines
Eunuch?
Lady in Waiting?
Palace Maids
Palace Guards
Okay, so the above are just random status I find from random wuxia novels and dramas. I also know that sometimes, the status of these people can gain more power than the other. for example, an eunuch who is very close to the emperor can gain more power than the general himself. i think everyone know what i mean here.
Therefore, I listed them in the order that i think would be their status. Please help me out by adding your own or correct me. Also, if you like, please provide the info of the status like what they do, their purpose, or why they are at that status in the social class. I hope to make a useful thread to help writers and readers alike.
here are a few places where i found my sources:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class#Chinese
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_occupations