you know during the mao era we actually did classify people into landlords rich poor peasants etc and give preferential treatment based on that. but no these "people" want to get throw stones from glass houses so thousand-year-oldjob classification is JUST like castes guys!!
Shang refers to merchants in ancient China's four occupations (士农工商) a theoretical ranking of professions scholars farmers artisans merchants. This was not a hereditary caste system like India's. Social mobility was possible and China has no caste system today.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_occu…asiasociety.org/education/jati…
this isn't to say i believe 贫富中农 is equivalent to a caste in any way though. it's just the closest possible analogue that would've made more sense, unless you have a mind of a cockroach like the hundreds of indians chomping at the bit to accuse china of bs