The Yuan and Qing Dynasties practiced the method of class rule, while the Sui, Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties practiced the method of floating goods rule. In ancient China, there were no real classes since the Zheng Zhi system was broken, and some classes were just passers-by. After reading the definition of feudalism in the west, I feel that the class (feudalism) defined by them is a fixed restriction, which cannot be broken by personal efforts, except revolution.
The relationship between slaves and slave owners in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties is unbreakable. The two Han dynasties raised filial piety, emphasizing life experience and fame, while the Three Kingdoms War emphasized ability and reputation. From the Jin Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the theory of birth was finally formed, and the whole society formed the opposition between gentry and the poor. At that time, the so-called "no poverty in the top grade, no gentry in the bottom grade".
Since the great cause of Yang Di the Great was officially opened to scholars for three years, for more than 1,300 years, why can't the whole society, except the emperor and the royal family, go up to the prime minister (cabinet records and the head of the Privy Council) and down to the peddler? State-owned land can be traded freely except for some public land and Huang Zhuang. The relationship between landlords and peasants is not unbreakable. In peacetime, many small farmers can buy a few acres of land and become landlords even after a few years of thrift. As for businessmen, it is more common to go back to their hometown to buy fields and houses after earning money, so the situation in China is fundamentally different from that in Western Europe. At that time, the land in China society was basically private ownership, while in the west it was private ownership.
It is precisely because of this feature of China society that the thought of "princes and princes are alike, but different in harmony" came into being. At the end of the dynasty, there were often refugees everywhere, but when they got up, they repeated the pattern of the previous dynasty. Western society is divided into large and small regions. Whoever is the Lord will divide a piece of land, build castles and raise troops. There are many forests, different tariffs, and the mainland's fundamentally unified monetary system, which seriously restricted the subsequent development of commerce and the bourgeoisie. If they want to develop, they will have to reform and break the system.
During the Yuan and Qing Dynasties, Mongols and Manchus collectively ruled, and Han people generally could not serve as officials at the level of Huachi and Huiji. The opposition between Mongols and Manchus is real and unbreakable. For Han people, you are allowed to develop on your own within a certain space, but when you reach the peak of development and want to break through the restrictions of birth, then, I'm sorry, your own natural obstacles determine that you can't be equal to Manchu when your ability is the same as Manchu.
There are nobles in Manchuria and Mongolia, and they are basically aristocratic classes. For example, the hereditary system of Mongolia and the Eight Banners system of Manchu ensured that there were a large number of nobles in these two dynasties. However, there were few aristocrats in the Han Dynasty, which is why people in China often say that "wealth can't exceed three generations" and that "a gentleman's kindness can cut down after five generations". It is precisely because the Yuan and Qing dynasties were ruled by classes that the ruling groups of these two dynasties were also the most United in suppressing domestic rebel forces. The ruling mode of the Han dynasty was home to the world, and the ruling mode of the Manchu dynasty was home to the world.
Therefore, the classes in the Yuan and Qing Dynasties were the real classes defined by the West, while the other classes in the Han Dynasty were China's classes.