Shang dynasty
Storyboard Text
- Traders Social Class
- Traders were also known as "shang ren", the Chinese word for merchant. They used cowrie shells as a form of money to trade.
- Farmers
- Farmers made up the largest social class in the society. They grew millet, wheat, barley, rice, fruit, vegetables and nuts. They did not own the land they farmed. Their land was under control of the king or nobles. Farmers could only keep enough food to feed themselves and their families. Even after the Chinese began to make bronze and iron weapons many farmers still used simple tools made of wood and stone.Besides growing crops, farmers learned to raise cattle, pigs, and chickens.
- Slaves
- At the very bottom of the Shang society were slaves. Many slaves were prisoners of war. They spent most of their lives building tombs and palaces.When their masters passed on, the slaves were sometimes sacrificed. They were sacrificed because it was believed that slaves should continue to serve their masters in the afterlife.
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