Politically, Classical China was racked by the Period of
the Warring States. This period of instability led to the rise of the doctrines of
Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism. It also saw the rise of the Han Dynasty which
established a strong central government based on legalist principles. In India, Ashoka
Maurya conquered the Indian sub-continent and instituted rule according to Buddhist
principles. His empire collapsed shortly after his death; and was succeeded by the Gupta
dynasty that did not establish strong central rule, but rather relied on local
administrators or even military allies to govern. Neither dynasty lasted long; whereas
the Han dynasty was relatively long-lived.
Socially, India
was dominated by the caste system. The four primary castes had developed into a large
number of sub-castes known as jati. Those who did not fit into any classification were
"out-castes" and treated as untouchable. Members of the same caste socialized with each
other and often ate together. They also tended to marry within their own caste. In
China, class distinction developed largely as a result of land ownership. The wealthy
owned large amounts of land, and often gained more when the poor were forced to sell
land to them in order to survive. Rich wore expensive clothing and dined on fine meals
such as pork and fish; the poor wore clothing woven from hemp and ate mostly porridges
made from grain.
Economically, agriculture was the backbone
of the Indian system; however Indian merchants grew wealthy by trading pepper, cotton,
and precious jewels throughout the Indian Ocean basin by reliance on the monsoon winds
which reverse course in Spring and Fall. They managed to trade as far as the Roman
Empire where Indian pepper was highly prized. In China, Agriculture was important to the
Chinese economy also; however merchants became wealthy trading silks throughout Eurasia
on the Silk Roads. Silk was as highly prized as Indian pepper and served to make many
merchants quite rich.
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