The Shang used bronze as an important resource within their society. Bronze was a representation of power, wealth, and luxury. Bronze was primarily used in two ways: for weapons, and in the creation of ceremonial vessels for food and wine. Another indication of wealth and power was the ability to write. The Shang dynasty was one of the first cultures to create a developed form of writing. In fact, the Shang's writing form was so advanced that it laid the groundwork for modern Chinese writing, some 3500 years later. Writing was important tool to keep the nobility in power. Writing allowed the higher-ups in society to communicate on a broader scale with each other, all the while keeping the illiterate inferiors in their place.
The hierarchy in the Shang dynasty was divided primarily into three groups: peasants, commoners, and nobles. The peasants consisted of impoverished serfs who did the manual labor in the primarily agricultural society. Commoners consisted of shop owners, artisans, soldiers, and farmers; the commoner class contained the most specialized workers. The nobility consisted of lords and, of course, the king. As is typical with any hierarchy, the further you go up on the ladder the more privilege and power you will find.
The nobles were responsible for governance of land, similar to barons in Europe. Considering the extent of the Shang's power (it had a population well above 10 million), the nobility was important in maintaining the king's power. In the smaller cities and towns around the land, nobles were in charge of overseeing the agriculture, government and economy of their designated land. Furthermore, the nobility were required to serve in the king's armed forces as officers. The Shang style of government was a monarchy. This means that the king's word was final and the nobles were obliged to follow out his governance faithfully.
As stated above, bronze was an obvious indication of power and nobility. The nobles owned bronze weapons, candlesticks and pottery. In order to emphasize the importance of the written language, Shang nobles would have hired tutors to teach their children how to read and write. The nobles were also noted for owning quantities of jade and wearing silk robes. The lower classes never could have afforded these things. The nobles' signs of privilege continued on to the grave, as evidenced by the ornate tombs that they were buried in.