<P> Although the social status of nobles , officials , farmers , and artisan - craftsmen were considered above the station of the lowly registered merchant , wealthy and successful businessmen acquired huge fortunes which allowed them to rival the social prestige of even the most powerful nobles and highest officials . Slaves were at the bottom of the social order , yet they represented only a tiny portion of the overall population . Retainers attached themselves to the estates of wealthy landowners , while medical physicians and state - employed religious occultists could make a decent living . People of all social classes believed in various deities , spirits , immortals , and demons . While Han Daoists were organized into small groups chiefly concerned with achieving immortality through various means , by the mid 2nd century CE they formed large hierarchical religious societies that challenged imperial authority and viewed Laozi ( fl . 6th century BCE ) as a holy prophet . </P>
<P> Although the social status of nobles , officials , farmers , and artisan - craftsmen were considered above the station of the lowly registered merchant , wealthy and successful businessmen acquired huge fortunes which allowed them to rival the social prestige of even the most powerful nobles and highest officials . Slaves were at the bottom of the social order , yet they represented only a tiny portion of the overall population . Retainers attached themselves to the estates of wealthy landowners , while medical physicians and state - employed religious occultists could make a decent living . People of all social classes believed in various deities , spirits , immortals , and demons . While Han Daoists were organized into small groups chiefly concerned with achieving immortality through various means , by the mid 2nd century CE they formed large hierarchical religious societies that challenged imperial authority and viewed Laozi ( fl . 6th century BCE ) as a holy prophet . </P>
which group was considered the backbone of chinese society
which group was considered the backbone of chinese society
wealthy and successful businessmen
wealthy and successful businessmen