Death by a thousand cuts
I’m reading a book about Chinese history called The Search for Modern China. It starts at the end of the Ming dynasty (17th century) and it ends in 1990, more or less. I am not sure yet because I didn’t finish it, I’m still in the second Sino-Japanese war. It is very interesting, and while I was reading the chapters about the end of the Ming dynasty and the whole Qing dynasty I noticed a small detail: the amount of times it was mentioned that someone was executed by slicing. Many times. I had heard of this Chinese torture/execution technique before but I had never thought too much about it. Now I got curious.
Slicing or death by a thousand cuts (in Chinese, 凌迟 lingchi) was an official execution method in China until 1905 (uh, that is not a long time ago). It was the punishment for the worst crimes, like planning to kill or talk bad about the emperor, but also for killing more than 3 people of the same family, because that would imply that the killer wanted to wipe out that lineage, and then the dead ancestors wouldn’t have anyone to make offerings to their tombs. And that (gasp!) is a very serious offence. Ancestors must be respected! The book also mentions one case of a man who was executed for insulting his own father, although I can’t remember if he was executed by slicing or other methods. However, if it was a father killing his son and the judge considered he had a reasonable motive to do it (e.g. the son had talked back), then the punishment was very lenient. Confucianism says that sons have to obey and respect their parents; wives have to obey and respect their husbands; and citizens have to obey and respect the emperor.
But let’s get back to slicing. During the death by a thousand cuts, the executioner didn’t really make a thousand cuts. That would have taken too long and the audience would have been bored! (Like in many other countries, executions were carried out in public places for everybody to see). The prisoner was high on opium (not sure how they did it before opium was introduced to China). The executioner started cutting the breasts and the biceps. Then, in most cases, he would stab the convicted’s heart to kill him, and then he would keep slicing here and there. The objective of the slicing was not so much to cause pain, but to cut and dismember the corpse. That was the worst form of humiliation. Chinese people had to be buried with their whole bodies. Again, according to Confucianism, your body is a gift from your parents and you are not allowed to modify it in any way. The book also mentions the story of a scholar who wrote a text criticising the emperor; after his death the text became very popular, the emperor heard about it and he punished the scholar (well, his bones at this point) to be dug up and spread around. Shame! Shame!
After reading so many stories of slicing I wanted to check if there were surviving photographies of this practice. And, oh, boy, there are. Most of them were taken by foreigners between 1904 and 1905, right before it was abolished. I am not going to post them here, but you can google 凌迟 if you want to see them. And, if you are interested in Chinese history, I can totally recommend The Search for Modern China, by Jonathan D. Spence (it’s on Amazon and it’s not too expensive!).
I googled it and I am not happy…there are so many terrible torture methods In this world. It is always terrifying how people could come up with these!
Yes… the lengths people would go to kill others!
Strange how something as nasty as torture is such a universal human trait, connecting us all to some savage past. Everyone did it, everyone had their own horrible specialty. I always thought being broken on the wheel or being impaled (or both) would be the worst way to go but the idea that your immortal soul was also being mutilated adds another level to the torture – as if that was needed.
What’s also strange is that the longer I live in China, the more I’m drawn to history/fiction and the less enjoyable I find books about life in modern China. I just finished reading the Age of Ambition book that “everyone” was raving about and I just thought it was obvious and kinda boring (but well written). I hope I get over this phase because I’ve got way too many life in China books sitting on my bookshelves.
In Spain our own specialty was garrote vil, it was a chair with a rope or wire that broke your neck. It was used until 1974!!!!!!!
Maybe you don’t enjoy the books about modern life in China because you know it too well (so they seem obvious to you, haha). I haven’t heard about the Age of Ambition but the name of the author sounds very familiar, he was living in China before, right? I think those books are mainly for people outside here.
Not googling. I have experienced google regret and it is not a pretty thing. But I am always on the look out for more interesting and wonky books. I will have to check that out. Thanks for posting!
Yes, it’s very interesting! I am learning a lot about the last centuries of history in China. And it also mentions many novels that I will have to check later.
Wow that is some serious torture. Who thinks of all these gruesome ways to kill people (slowly)…mmm…but I do love Chinese history so thank you for the post and info on the book.
The book is quite long and kind of academic (it’s not a novel, it’s just history!) but definitely worth a read!
Did you ever see Sand Pebbles, the 1966 movie about an American gunboat on the Yangtze River patrol? The main character, a machinist’s mate, is played by Steve McQueen. He has made friends with a coolie he hired. In one scene, the coolie has been captured and is being tortured in a way that resembles “death by a thousand cuts.” The coolie asks McQueen to kill him, and McQueen does. The reason I remember the scene is that my husband (who was still my boyfriend) said killing him was an act of mercy. I wasn’t so sure. It was still murder, I thought. I was probably being too legalistic.
I’ve read a couple of books by Jonathan Spence. It’s been many years, but I still remember that they were good.
I haven’t watched that movie! I can understand both you and your husband’s point of view. Killing him fast was definitely an act of mercy because he would have been agonizing for days, but strictly speaking yes, it was a murder.
That’s still not the worst, because it only involves punishing the individual itself. If you read ancient texts that goes back to the era of the Three Kingdoms and beyond, there’s a popular punishment for traitors: 掘祖坟. People (especially the rich and powerful clans) bury their ancestors in good feng shui places and setups. So if the emperor is displeased with someone, he will punish the offender’s family by digging out their ancestry tombs and do nasty things to the corpses of up to a few generations back. This will ensure misfortune to the offender and his family (clan) that will last for generations!
Of course, the offender himself will suffer the kind of things that you mentioned in your post, but it is not enough that he alone suffers, his family and descendants must also suffer for his crime! :(
Oh yes, the book also mentions the killing of several generations. From a strategic point of view it makes total sense… no one left to avenge the deaths!! (Have I been watching too much Game of Thrones? haha!).
What a horrific part of history you have unearth. Ghastly. But I’ll remember your recommendation. I had a dream of reading a good Chinese history book and I need to get going on it…
Wow, you dream about books! So intellectual! :D
I Goggled. Oh my! The British used to something similar. Hanged drawn and quartered. Firstly the person was dragged by a horse on a pallet or something, hung almost to death, disembowelled, beheaded quartered or each limb was tied to a horse and the horses when went off in different directions. You get the idea! It stopped in 1870. Women for high treason escaped this and and got burnt at the stake instead (no idea when this practiced stopped. Fingers crossed long before 1870). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered
Every country had it’s gruesome past. I may read the book!
Oh yes! I read about this while searching for the thousand cuts thingie. How exactly did people invent these things? I mean, there are faster and cleaner ways of killing people! Was it done just so others would see and fear?
Probably and because some people are sick individuals who get kicks from hurting others. It’s the power thing. We all have it, the like of power over someone or something. Most of us can control it, don’t ever let it rise, but sick individuals get kicks. And yes, to put fear into others as they can’t control the masses by other means.
This is a very horrible way to die even if using opium would’ve meant they didn’t feel much.
A famous person who suffered this was a Chinese Ming Dynasty general Yuan Chonghuan who was accused of treason. Apparently he was a formidable general who had actually defeated the Manchu in battle and this caused some envy in the royal court. Why do I know about him – because he comes from Dongguan, ha, where one of my grandparents is from.
I think all ways to be killed are horrible, but this one is particularly gruesome, yes. I had not heard about that general but it is scary to think that you could end up literally in pieces because someone was jealous of you!
Yes, this is extremely gruesome. Quite a few famous Chinese figures were killed due to jealousy or similar pettiness. Arguably the most famous ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian was castrated by an emperor due to imperial nepotism!
Why is it that the Chinese invent the worst types of torture? Oh my goodness… cutting different body parts… achchhh!! I got goosebumps just thinking about it! Not googling!
In Spanish we have the saying “Chinese torture” to refer to something unbearable! But, to be honest, other places also had pretty horrible execution methods: check this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered or this one https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impalement
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