The Ming Dynasty's household registration system had basically followed the Yuan system, dividing the common people into civilian households, military households, artisan households, and salt-making households.
People like Pan Yun, whether scholars, farmers, artisans, or merchants, all belonged to civilian households. Artisan households, like military households, were hereditary; their descendants had to inherit the craft and were not permitted to change occupations without authorization.
In other words, in theory, if your father was a carpenter, then you had to be a carpenter, and so did your children and grandchildren for generations to come.
As members of artisan households, they had to perform labor service at set intervals. This service was divided into rotational artisans and resident artisans.
Rotational artisans had to travel to the Capital City at their own expense every three or five years and work without pay for three months, returning to their registered home afterward.
Never mind the cost of three months of unpaid labor; the travel expenses alone could sweep away several years of savings for many artisan families.
After scrimping and saving for three or five years, just when they felt they could add a cart or build another room, they had to spend the money on a trip to the Capital City.
Resident artisans, meanwhile, had to serve long-term in government-run workshops in the Capital City or elsewhere. They worked ten days each month and were free to run their own businesses and earn their own money the rest of the time.
Both systems of labor service greatly restricted the mobility of artisans and, at the same time, stifled the development of craftsmanship.
A father's talent did not mean his son had the talent to inherit the craft. This caused many techniques to be lost in transmission, and with compulsory labor leaving them meager