Great civilisations: Built on trade, but wary of traders
China ranked people in four groups: scholar, farmer, artisan, merchant. Shi, nong, gong, shang. The idea is old, found in the Guanzi. The scholar governs. Farmer grows food. Artisan makes things. The merchant makes nothing. He buys low, sells high and keeps the difference. So, he goes to the bottom.…
The Economic Times ·