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A people difficult to rule is because they are too clever.
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

As with the Kindred, Kuei-jin belong to different social classes, but there the similarity ends. The two main criteria for status among Kindred, namely age and generation, occupy different positions in Kuei-jin society. Because there is no Embrace or Curse for the Kuei-jin, there exists no generation. Physical age is respected in twofold fashion, as both a reflection of one's ability to survive for several centuries and a measure of significant progress toward fulfilling one's Dharma.

In essence, Kuei-jin society is predicated upon an intertwining of spiritual advancement and political initiative. Within courts and Dharmas, and amid the larger Kuei-jin community, social status marks a vampire's communion with the proximity to the Great Cycle. The particular categories that Kuei-jin use to describe their social place demonstrate the importance placed upon spiritual completeness. As a Kuei-jin progresses along his Dharma, he earns higher status within soceity, but also receives responsibilities and obligations that he is expected to fulfill.

Chin-mei
The lowest vampires in the karmic cycle are the chin-mei, that vast majority of Kuei-jin whose Hun souls do not survive their initial return to the world. They are the mad, the ravenous, the carrion-eaters of the Kuei-jin, the near animals. Chih-mei tend to inhabit the most rural and desolate areas, the areas that are depopulated or barren. Chih-mei can also gravitate to regions where the Chi lines are corrupted or weak; there, they fight among themselves and slay unfortunate mortals for the flesh that will sustain them.

For the most part, chih-mei are destroyed, either by other chih-mei, by mortal witch-hunters and exorcists, or by their own talons. Some courts of Kuei-jin also take it upon themselves, as part of their commonly understood duty, to purge their regions of chih-mei if they foresee a threat to their own existence or to those of mortals. Rumors circulate that certain opportunistic Kuei-jin keep packs of cahined chih-mei for purposes of protection, intimidation and even gambling (in the manner of fighting cocks), although such exploitation of the chih-mei violates severl sacred Kuei-jin precepts. Kuei-jin regard chih-mei as unfortunate casualties of the Great Cycle, as souls condemned to truncated unlies of misery and madness. Kuei-jin who take it upon themselves to destroy chih-mei know well that they are doing the wretches a favor.

Hin
Hin are the "nonpersons": vampires who have managed to conquer their shadow nature but who have not fully proved their worthiness to exist as Kuei-jin. They are permitted to exist and taught how to feed, but are given neither rights nor responsibilities until they have been initiated into the Kuei-jin unlifestyle, a process that can take several years.

The unlife of a hin is harsh, akin to that of a pledge in a military college. Although the entire Kuei-jin community takes responsibility for training hin, elders expect lessons to be learned diligently, gracefully and speedily. Hin must conduct themselves decorously, respectfully and -- most important in the Fifth Age -- competently. Hin who demonstrate stubbornness, disobedience or ineptitude are quickly winnowed out.

Disciple
All Kuei-jin who have survived the Second Breath without completely succumbing to the P'o have done so through a combination of inner strength and innate power. A Kuei-jin who manages to rise above his initial existence naturally gravitates towards a specific Dharma, based upon his spiritual powers and strengths. After several years of rigorous training and gradual initiation, a (surviving) Kuei-jin is welcomed into the larger community, then initiated into a wu and (usually) a court of fellow Kuei-jin.

These vampires are called disciples, for, by their initiation into a wu and court, they are considered to have embarked upon the first step toward fulfilling their specific Dharma and finding their true purpose. Disciples are officially considered part oft eh larger Kuei-jin community. Although these Cathayans are lowest on the social ladder, they earn the basic rights of Kuei-jin, in both their court and the larger community. What rights a disciple has varies from court to court, but the fact that they achieve rights and respect from other court members is a significant episode in Kuei-jin existence. Besides being separated from the chih-mei, a disciples is accorded a respect that the childer of Kindred do not possess. Disciples of continuity, the inheritors of the Dharma and the new members of the quest to reenter the Great Cycle. Rather than maltreating disciples, scorning them or using them as pawns -- as Kindred do their on childer -- established Kuei-jin see such nascent vampires as the future of the Kuei-jin race. Thus, elders must encourage and assist disciples' spiritual growth, or so disciples are told.

Jina
Once a disciple has adhered for a certain amount of time to the teachings of his Dharma and has followed the laws of his court, he reaches a state of spiritual advancement that opens his mind and body to a greater level of inner power and magics. This state of existence, called the ling, corresponds to a disciple's first comprehension of the potentiality of his power and, more importantly, ways to control it. The achievement of ling is a great accomplishment for a disciple; it is his first of many epiphanies on the road to the completion of his Dharma.

Vampires who have achieved ling are called jina, an ancient term for a spiritual guru. The conferring of jina status is a profound occurrence within Kuei-jin society; along with their increased social weight, jina also have the responsibility of instructing disciples. Upon attaining the rank of jina, such vampires are officially presented with one or more disciples, whose correct spiritual guidance is the ultimate responsibility of their respective jina. If its disciples are the future of any Kuei-jin court, its jina are the first formative influences for such beginners. As the larger social cast after disciples, jina fuel the spiritual fires of all Cathayans.

Mandarin
In traditional Chinese society, the class of intellectuals -- the ministers, teachers and advisers to the emporer or regional governors -- held a special status based on their intellectual prowess and administrative acumen. In Cathayan society, such status goes to the advisers and administrators of a court or regional ancestor; these Kuei-jin, like their mortal counterparts, are commonly called mandarins.

Mandarins, be they advisers for individual courts or larger political bodies, are jina who have distinguished themselves in their roles as spiritual guids, but who also show particular affinity for larger advisory capacities. The mandarins are a singular caster within Kuei-jin society; they have their own customs, rituals and patois separate from all other social levels. Mandarins function as political advisers to ancestors, as ambassadors among the different courts, and as spiritual advisers to jina. Some mandarins perform other duties: Minister of Ceremonies, Foreign-Devil-Slaying General or First Interrogator, for example. The mandarins are also given the awesome responsibility within each court of selecting the court's ancestor. Considering their vast array of responsibilities, many Kuei-jin are puzzled by the taciturn and insular nature of mandarins; although they are received within Kuei-jin society as trusted spiritual advisers and de facto kingmakers, the enigmatic aura that envelops them remains bewildering to many, although very few Kuei-jin would actually admit such a thing.

Ancestor
The term "ancestor" has multiple definitions for Kuei-jin. It can refer to the original founder or one of the original founders of a Kuei-jin court. These figures are usually called "Imperial Ancestors" or simply "emperors" to distinguish them from the modern meaning of the term, which is either the head of a specific court or the governor of a region comprising several courts of Kuei-jin (something akin to a Kindred prince).

It is a court's mandarins who choose a court's ancestor, if one is chosen at all; they select candidates through a combination of debate and spiritual revelation, as well as the state of a candidate's Dharma. Such selection is strictly the purview of the court's mandarins; they have the final say in the considerations of candidates and appointment thereof.

The selection of an ancestor to govern a city or region of Kuei-jin is a more open affair. In this instance, each court of Kuei-jin within a city or region amy send a delegation to convene, to put forth and to consider candidates, and eventually to select the ancestor of a city or region. The Kuei-jin appointed to this post invariably displays great political ambition and guile and has the spiritual grounding in his Dharma to effectively represent the Kuei-jin under his authority. For this reason, the ancestor of a city has traditionally been ancestor of a cout, but this qualification is not stringent: On some rare occasions, due to low Kuei-jin population or because of a powerful exhibition of talent, a mandarin or high-level jina is appointed ancestor.

Imbuing a Kuei-jin with ancestor-ship of a court or city is never automatic. Any Kuei-jin selected must undergo a test of leadership and character, thus proving his fitness to rule. Called the Three Dialogues, the test ranges over three nights and calls upon every face of a Kuei-jin's abilities to pass it.

The first night is a test of the mind. The candidate is effectively grilled for the entire night by all teachers and mandarins in the court (or, in the case of a regional appointment, by all the assembled delegates) to determine his command of the vast library of Cathayan philosophy and teachings. Fierce debate over spiritual matters and commands to recall the most obscure, out-of-context references from the major works of Cathayan thought are the norm. A potential ancestor is expected to conduct his arguments with razor-sharp acumen, and nothing less than perfection is tolerated.

The second night is a test of the physical body. An ancestor is expected to know how to fight, and to this end, a candidate faces five of the most respected warriors in the court. Depending upon the court, the combat may or may not employ weaponry, but the potential leader must vanquish all of his opponents, often in several battles apiece.

The third, and arguable most important night, involves testing of the soul. The mandarins and sages involved in the Dialogues collectively turn on the potential ancestor and tap into his P'o through a combination of magic and psychological warfare. The vampire must reach deep within himself to bring his near-frenzied P'o back under control and fight off the attacks of the assembly, thus maintaining a grasp of his rational, higher Hun self. In addition to testing strength of will, the activity breaks down any psychosomatic barriers that exist between the Kuei-jin and his P'o, thereby opening a successful candidate to Demon Arts that had been heretofore dormant.

Needless to say, the Three Dialogues are not easy. Many apparently qualified Kuei-jin have not endured the third night of the tests, often resulting in madness of Final Death. The intensity of the Three Dialogues highlights the gravity Cathayans place upon the choosing of the right ancestor, and it shows the vampires' willingness to destroy one of their own rather than suffer the consequences of a poor choice. Kuei-jin, believe that Heaven, the spirit worlds and the Great Cycle invariably illuminate the correct choice for ancestor-ship. The Three Dialogues serve as the traditional way of discovering the wishes of these august forces.

Bodhisattva
When a Kuei-jin reaches the final stages of his Dharma, he removes himself from the larger world, from political and social interaction, and lives the unlike of an ascetic. These ascetics are known as bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas are primarily concerned with the end of their Dharmas and their earthly existences -- through most remain in the Middle Kingdom for centuries more, instructing lesser Kuei-jin and providing unliving examples of correct behavior.

Near the end of their Dharmas, bodhisattvas obtain communion with the spirit wolds: They experience frequent contact with historic Kuei-jin, Grand Ancestors, the Yin and Yang Worlds, and even the Yama Kings, all of whom bodhisattvas believe grant the final answers for transcending earthly existence. It is only when a Kuei-jin reaches the final stages of his Dharma that his consciousness opens to this dialogue with the ancients. (Zao-lat, the imperfect one, dubbed this state the "Suspire.")

Relatively few Kuei-jin ever attain the rank of bodhisattva; the process takes centuries, even millennia, and most Kuei-jin meet Final Death or succumb to the P'o long before they reach the bodhisattva stage. Kuei-jin who do reach the bodhisattva stage are vastly powerful beings -- easily on the level of a Kindred Methuselah -- and are revered as near-gods by other Kuei-jin. (Some are feared, and rightly so; those bodhisattvas following the Devil-Tiger Dharma, for example, have spent centuries perfecting the way of monstrosity, and it shows. Even the most vicious and homicidal "enlightened ones," though, are respected rather than reviled -- albeit at a safe distance.)

Although most bodhisattvas live solitary existences in the wilderness, a few congregate in remote communities across Asia. The most famous one houses the spiritual teachers of the Shaolin Monastery in central Chin, all of whom are bodhisattvas. Along with their personal Dharmas, bodhisattvas act as spiritual leaders for all Kuei-jin, typically receiving any Kuei-jin who comes before them with questions. For sentimental reasons (though these sentiments are often viewed as imperfections), some bodhisattvas even maintain close ties with the ancestor of the court to which they belonged. Although they are ostensibly available for any Kuei-jin to consult, bodhisattvas' innate spiritual force can be overpowering, even devastatingly painful, for younger Kuei-jin to endure.

The bodhisattva's existence ends when he becomes an arhat, a term that symbolizes the completion of the journey along the Road Back. There have been very few arhats in the multimillennial history of the Kuei-jin. Arhats are those bodhisattvas who have completely fulfilled their Dharmas and discerned their place in the Great Cycle. They have transcended their endless hunger, and they live out the rest of their nights as total hermits before their essence is reunited with the Great Cycle.

Arhats are the saints, buddhas and holy men of Cathayan society. To many Kuei-jin, they are unliving proof that there exists a purpose for their vampiric existence. To shed one's karmic curse and rejoin the Great Cycle is a Kuei-jin's primary and most daunting taskl the arhats are testaments to the worth of a Kuei-jin's Dharma and place on Earth. Bodhisattvas believe that in their meditations they speak with the arhats, receiving guidance and advice from them. In many ways, they arhats hold a social standing and respect akin to what Kindred accord Antediluvian. Unlike those terrible Cainites, though, Kuei-jin arhats keep completely to themselves and do no interfere in the affairs of the greater Kuei-jin society. They have ended their sojourn in the Middle Kingdom and belong to the Ages of the Great Cycle.

For Asian vampires, politics is important in maintaining harmonious relations among the different courts. The relative lack of modernization in many parts of Asia -- as well as the complexities of social and business interactions -- necessitates an even smoother flow of information and agreement along political channels. In the major cities, where the cramped populations can easily support a much greater number of vampires than cities in the West can, Kuei-jin place a high premium on peaceful interaction. Any significantly controversial act causes ripples among Kuei-jin and mortal populations alike.

The Ancestor
The ancestor of a court of Kuei-jin, when one exists at all, is similar to a Kindred prince, insofar as both entities hold domain over all vampires within a certain region, social stratum or field of endeavor. But there the similarity ends. Accession, power base and rights of governance of an ancestore in Beijing or Tokyo starkly contrast with the comparative instability of a pince's influence in London or Chicago.

The most immediately obvious difference is the respect accorded an ancestor. For the Kindred, a prince typically takes power through violent revolution and maintains his position through political kowtowing to the city's primogen, who function simultaneously as advisers and opposition. All the power of a prince rest on his of her ability to quash potential usurpers, and to prevent the primogen from deserting en masse. Respect and deference toward a prince are spotty at best, even absent in some of the largest and more fractious metropoli.

With an ancestore, it is a much different matter. From the outset, the phenomenon of ancestry is a collective process. Chosen by representatives of all the affected Kuei-jin courts within a city, the ancestore enjoys the full faith and credit of his of her subjects (or at least most of them). The process is deliberate and painstaking, but rarely takes on the character or violence of a municipal civil war.

However, because a given region may consist of two or more courts, two or more court ancestors might find their purviews overlapping. Suppose that the Flowery Minister of the Opal Mirror, an ancestor ruling a spiritually oriented court in a major Asian city, finds himself at odds with the court of his rival, the Ancestress of Steel Knives, over the ascendancy of a radical mortal cult. The Flowery Minister feels that the cult's activities fall under his jurisdiction, but the Ancestress, seeing the cult's potential as a weapon against the invading Kindred, decides to use the cult as a Scarlet Screen for her court. Shadow war is declared, and disciples on both sides (as well as unaffiliated Kuei-jin) are mustered (or duped) into action. The resulting tension could theoretically bring both courts to their knees and disrupt mortal life in the city as well.

Needless to say, Kindred refugees seeking to present themselves to the "leader" of their inscrutable rivals can find this phenomenon confusing...and lethal.

The political authority of an ancestor is real and near-absolute. Compared to the chaos of the Jyhad, the shadowy dealings and infighting that scar the Western Kindred, the order of a city of Kuei-jin under a powerful and respected ancestor is almost shocking. Ironically, an ancesto rarely maintains control over mortal institutions such as government, crime or business, these trifles she leave to the courts and the mandarins. An ancestor is typically of sufficient power to enforce her will through personal strength alone.

The specific rights and duties of an ancestor reflect this mandate of authority. First and foremost, the ancestor is the prime lawmaker for a city of Kuei-jin. With her mandarin advisers, she enacts and enforces the specific codes for those areas of the city under her aegis, thus protecting the purviews of various wu, settling disputes, overseeing treaties or agreements between wu or courts under her auspices, arbitrating shadow wars, and delineating the boundaries of interaction between Kuei-jin and the mortal populations.

The ancestor also acts as an ambassador for her territory by receiving venerable Kuei-jin from other regions and by acting as the territory's representative in drafting treaties or agreements with the ancestors of other realms. Safe conduct and protection are given by the ancestor alone. Any Kuei-jin who takes the normal risks of travel to the domain of another ancestor usually carries an official signet of safe conduct, bestowed by his own ancestor, which guarantees the protection of the ruling ancestor during his of her stay. Yet, just as safe conduct and protection are given, they are as easily renounced; Kuei-jin travelers who conduct themselves unbecomingly can be officially enjoined from entering the domains of certain ancestors.

The ancestor also has the sole right to interact with any and all Kindred within her domain, and to control similar interaction for all Kuei-jin under her authority. The ancestor's official sanction is needed for any Kuei-jin to make deals with or offer hospitality to the Western clans, and such sanctions do not come easily.

Last, but definitely not least, the ancestor has the final authority to guard the territory against evil spirits and Yama Kings, which includes the ability to pronounce akuma status on any Kuei-jin within her domain. Specific court leaders usually make their pronouncement of akuma on the unfortunates involved, but the ancestor has final say in the matter. The declaration of akuman upon a Kuei-jin is a momentous decision, one never made lightly. The subsequent approval of the ancestor, then, is more of less automatic, but there have been rare instances of an ancestor revering a decree.