The Earliest Chinese Class Society

Qijia culture is one basic part of the ancient culture in Yellow River basin, and it is an essential primitive culture in northwest China as well as one of important branches of primitive society. Qijia culture has abundant cultural heritage and clear cultural context. Therefore, the research of Qijia culture has great significance to the primitive society of northwest China.During the period of Qijia culture, the social production had improved dramatically. Ceramics industry developed prosperously, bones and stones were produced in an exquisite way. In particular, the copper smelting had two types of production---copper and bronze that suggested the society had already stepped into the Bronze Age. In the aspect of agricultural civilization, the animal husbandry developed rapidly, indicated the farming culture had started to change into the combination of agriculture and animal husbandry culture. Based on such kind of social and economic basis, it not only satisfied people with their basic survival needs,but also showed the surplus products which aroused people’s willingness to pursue more productive resources. Thus, the gap between the rich and the poor of the society appeared. The primitive ownership society established during this period. It made people account for the number of products, and then created the opposite classes.Some people became the top ruler, and some became the slavery. It can be said that the earliest class is appeared during this period. Starting from Qijia culture, China had entered into the class society, and formed the original country state. Therefore, the research of social economic and social nature in Qijia culture period can be also treated as the discussion of when and how did China enter into the class society.Besides, the paper also discussed some other related issues, such as how did the climate affect the social culture, and the relationships between Xia culture and Qijia culture.