Research on the Professional Features of Craftsmen, the Inheritance of Skills, and Changes in their Social Status: From Liu Zongyuan’s “Ziren Zhuan”

Abstract

: In the long history of feudal agricultural society in ancient China, the artisan group was the direct creator of the level of social productivity. Liu Zongyuan’s description of the artisan which was the equivalent of the modern chief engineer in the Tang Dynasty, could help future generations to have a deep understanding of its professional role and characteristics. In essence, the status and role of the profession in practice was similar to that of the prime minister in the hundred officials. Artisans whose work could supersede that of nature were rare across all dynasties, and the result was related to the inheritance of skills, the social status of artisans, and many other factors. In the Ming Dynasty, the social status of artisans representing the construction industry improved in an unprecedented manner. Further, in the Ming Dynasty, the fields of architecture, furniture, and copper ware manufacturing, reached the highest level in the history of China. Exploring the relationship between the social status of artisans and the level of ancient handicraft industry has a higher academic value and more far-reaching practical significance than simply exploring the professional height to which ancient skills were able to attain.