Definition of Class

Chapters Two to Seven have shown that Chinese society is ethics-oriented, which differs from the practice in the West where society is alternately individual-oriented and society-oriented. Ethics-orientedness, however, is only one aspect of China's social structure. The other aspect we must consider is that, whereas the West can be considered as a society with class divisions – both between aristocratic landlords and serfs in medieval times and between capitalists and laborers in modern times – China can be considered a society with professional distinctions. Ethics-orientedness and class divisions are two sides of the same coin.

To discuss issues related to class, the first question we have to ask is: What is class? Generally speaking, aside from the initial stage of human society, when class divisions did not yet exist, and the future of the human society, when class divisions will no longer survive, between these two poles of human history, class exists. If we cannot develop an understanding of the evolution of class between these two stages – both from its non-existence to its existence and from its existence to its non-existence – we can by no means be prepared to discuss cultural issues and to look to the future of mankind. Since “class” is such a big issue, it would be impossible to fully elaborate on it within the space of several dozen lines in this book. What follows is my attempt to summarize.

Broadly, the division between the superior and the inferior, and between the rich and the poor, might well be considered to represent “class”. But class, as we are calling it here, should emerge only when there is opposition between different groups of people or a fight for supremacy in the economic or political arena. Here, the specific case of the West, both in medieval times and in modern times, is used as an illustration. As the classes that illustrate “class divisions” are non-existent in China, the discussion will be limited to these classes only. Moreover, class in the real sense, that is, the idea of class that plays the most vital role in the cultural process, will also be discussed to such an extent. In this way, the key points about what class connotes will be made clear.