Compare and Constrast Classical China and Classical India
Though they had some different qualities, Classical China and India were very similar. The complexities of both India and China’s social hierarchy systems were very different. However their religious views and ideas were similar, and they both began to decline but were able to recover and maintain stability. 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 believed in reciprocal respect within relationships. For example, the ruler respects the subject and the subject respects the ruler. Another major difference was the specific levels of the social ladder. The caste system of India had four basic levels: the Brahmins (priests), followed by the Kshatriyas (warriors), then the Vaishyas (work people), and finally the Shudras (peasants).
All four of these castes were divided into subgroups called jati. This system was very complex and stratified and a person could not change castes. The Chinese only had three steps on their social ladder. On top was the educated bureaucrats and landowners. The peasants and the urban artisans were in the middle class and the “mean” or meaningless people were at the bottom. Priests in India were considered very powerful and they were at the top of society. The Classical Chinese emperors used a centralized religion called Confucianism and a priest class wasn’t necessary.
There was other religions in China but the priests were isolated from the rest of the population. The Chinese social system was very simple and the Indian caste system was more specific. India and China used different hierarchy systems, but they had similar religious views and ideas. At this point in time Hinduism was very popular in India and the Chinese emperors stressed confucian ideas. Hinduism and Confucianism were very similar. In both religions there was no specific gods to be worshiped, but there was religious shrines.
People were obedient to confucianism because it stressed respect to all people. The goal of Hinduism was to free your soul and reach moksha. In order to do so people had to follow the rules and do the right thing. Confucianism and Hinduism worked because all people benefited from them. Another major similarity of India and China was the cause and effects of the declines of their golden ages. Both India and China had strong enough civilizations to withstand the challenges they faced and not completely fall.
Because of China’s strong political system and because of India’s uniform religion, both civilizations were able to recover and revive themselves. Nomadic invaders attacked both civilizations and this was a setback but strong emperors helped regain order. The strength of the political systems was also challenged. Arab invaders tried to convert India to Islam but failed because Indian religious leaders worked to strengthen HInduism. In China bureaucrats became corrupt and started fighting for power and assassinating each other.
Thankfully the Sui and Tang dynasties worked to regain power and they restored Confucianism because they knew it worked in the past. India and China lost power but they were able to maintain stability. China and India had some qualities that contrast each other, but the two civilizations were very similar. Their social hierarchy systems were different, but they shared common religious views and ideas, they both suffered a decline but they were able to recover and maintain stability.
