This system was central to life in ancient China; it was a system of principles and

measures by which a clan, a state, or society was run, based on bloodline or

whether a son was born from the wife or a concubine. The feudal clan system

evolved from the patriarchal chiefs system. Taking shape during the Western

Zhou Dynasty, this system and the feudal system were mutually dependent and

complementary. The feudal clan system had two levels: one was the familial

level, where the eldest son by the wife was the first in line to inherit the family's

property and thus enjoyed the greatest authority. Other members of the clan

were allotted their status and authority according to their closeness of kinship,

ancestry, or seniority. In the families of the emperor, kings, and other nobility,

this pattern was extended to the state or national level. It had a decisive impact

on the inheritance of the imperial throne and on state politics. The feudal

clan system greatly influenced the Chinese way of life and thinking for several

thousand years.