Final answer:
In the Yuan dynasty, the rulers incorporated some Chinese political culture while maintaining cultural distance from their Chinese subjects. They enforced rigid hierarchies based on ethnicity and submission to Mongol rule, with Mongols at the top and ethnic Chinese subjects ranked lower.
Step-by-step explanation:
The authors consider various characteristics of their non-Chinese subjects in a historical context. In the Yuan dynasty, the rulers incorporated some aspects of Chinese political culture, such as filial piety and ancestor veneration.
However, they also sought to maintain cultural distance by forbidding Chinese subjects from adopting Mongol dress or language.
The rulers enforced rigid hierarchies based on ethnicity and capitulation to their rule, with Mongols at the top and ethnic Chinese subjects ranked lower based on their submission to Mongol rule.
These characteristics were particularly important to the authors in understanding the dynamics between the ruling Mongols and their Chinese subjects.