The theory of division of labour in Chinese history

Abstract

Division of labour is the foundation for management. The two are mutually interdependent in that management would have no importance without the division of labour and, at the same time, efficient management can refine the division of labour. Division of labour has been in existence for centuries. During ancient times, when there were no modern technologies and management techniques, division of labour was the primary source of productivity development as well as the key factor in rationalising the production process. It is therefore unsurprising that it should have attracted the attention of thinkers in those times. “History is the starting point of modern scientific theories”.2 Division of labour was a central topic when Classical Plutonomy was gradually developed in the Western world. Adam Smith contributed his own work on this topic. Besides Xenophon, Plato and Adam Smith, many other scholars had expatiated on the division of labour, including Thomas More, William Petty and Charles Babbage. The theory of the division of labour was an essential component of economic theories even before economics became an independent discipline. Similarly in ancient China, especially during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there were many views expressed on the theory of the division of labour, some of which were quite sophisticated. In general, the Chinese theories could be categorised in terms of the following aspects.