India's caste system gave priority to religious status and ritual purity (the Brahmins), whereas China
elevated political officials to the highest of elite positions. The caste system divided Indian society
into vast numbers of distinct social groups; China had fewer, but broader categories of society—
scholar-gentry, landlords, peasants, merchants. India's caste society defined these social groups far
more rigidly and with even less opportunity for social mobility than in China.