Final answer:
The Mongol Empire's conquest of China led to significant social and administrative changes, with the establishment of the Yuan dynasty by Kublai Khan, the creation of a new social hierarchy based on ethnicity, and the complex taxation practices that had mixed effects on different social groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
How China Changed Under Mongol Rule
After being conquered by the Mongol Empire, China underwent significant changes. The Mongol conquest marked the first time China was ruled by foreigners, specifically under the Yuan dynasty established by Kublai Khan. Following the Mongol takeover, the implementation of a new social hierarchy based on ethnicity became apparent, with Mongols occupying the highest social tier, followed by other non-Chinese groups, and the ethnic Chinese being relegated to the lower rungs. This was a departure from the Confucian class distinctions based on one's role in production within Chinese society.
The Yuan rulers attempted to maintain their cultural distinctiveness by preventing Chinese people from adopting Mongol customs, such as Mongol dress or language. Although they absorbed many Chinese administrative and taxation practices, they primarily staffed governmental positions with foreigners, rather than with native Chinese, and enforced a four-tiered social structure that solidified ethnic hierarchies. Taxation practices under Mongol rule were complex, with some sectors like merchants and artisan benefiting, while agrarian land expropriation proved disastrous for many Chinese peasants and farmers.
Mongol leadership did attempt to develop infrastructure, such as roads and the Grand Canal, and fostered economic expansion by adopting policies favorable to trade. However, these attempts did not fully mitigate the resentment of the Chinese subjects, who felt subjugated and were often treated as lower-class citizens under foreign rule.