Abstract: Equality, as a modern value, is not the equality among social strata, but the universal equality. The core idea of such equality is the equality of rights. When asking “whose equality?” and “what kind of equality?”, we must distinguish carefully two levels of equality. In discussing equality in today’s China, we must be aware of what problems China has. The denial of the equality among social strata in a patriarchal clan system, the establishment of equal legal rights as well as the possession of minimum material conditions for a life with dignity-- all of these are still the main contents of equality. Removing inequality in our daily life gradually is a more expected way to realize equality.

Key words: equality, equality among social strata, universal equality, equality of rights, daily life, contemporary China