Four occupations

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/four-occupations

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the core occupational categories?Shi (scholar-officials/warriors), Nong (farmers), Gong (artisans/craftsmen), Shang (merchants/traders)
2. What is the philosophical affiliations?Primarily associated with Confucianism and Legalism in ancient Chinese thought
3. What were the four main jobs in ancient China?The four jobs were the Shi (warrior nobles who later became scholar-bureaucrats), the Nong (farmers), the Gong (artisans and craftsmen), and the Shang (merchants and traders).
4. Why were the Shi considered the highest group?The Shi were at the top because they were scholars and administrators who ran the government and were seen as the most important for society.

Fengjian System: A pre-modern Chinese socio-political system characterized by feudalism, decentralization, and hierarchical land tenure.
Scholar-Bureaucrats: Educated officials appointed to government positions based on merit, typically through civil service examinations.
Commercialization: The process by which an economy shifts towards greater emphasis on trade, markets, and monetary exchange.
Social Stratification: The hierarchical arrangement of individuals and groups in a society based on factors like wealth, status, and power.