everyday life in ancient china

school

housing

food

clothing

Schools throughout China were organized into three major stages and seven levels.

Elementary education was composed of kindergarten, lower elementary, and higher elementary

secondary education consisted of middle school

higher education was divided into preparatory school, specialized college, and university.

work

There were four major professions in ancient China

Those professions were scholars (which included doctors and warriors), farmers, artistians (artists and craftsmen), and merchants

Unlike most ancient cultures, farmers were not on the lowest level of the social scale

The small private homes of the ancient Chinese were usually built from dried mud, rough stones, and wood

The most ancient houses are square, rectangular, or oval.

They had thatch roofs (e.g. of straw or reed bundles) supported by wooden poles, the foundation holes for which are often still visible.

The rich people of China ate very well

They ate grains like rice, wheat and millet. They also ate plenty of meat including pork, chicken, duck, goose and dog.

Vegetables included yams, soya beans, broad beans and turnip as well as spring onions and garlic.

People in ancient China wore tunics

Women wore long tunics, sometimes with a second tunic over the first

Some worn pants under their tunics

The men worn shorter tunics over pants