‘Death By A Thousand Cuts’ Photos From Late Qing Dynasty – China Pics
www.chinasmack.com — A rather graphic series of photos showing Qing Dynasty death penalty/torture. Allegedly reserved for very serious crimes, it's hard to imagine anything justifying this. Warning, the images are quite graphic - even in their graininess.
I'm surprised (and relieved, I might add) this post didn't stir some controversy and evoke comments against the "barbaric Chinese." I first bumped into "Lingchi" on TPD a few months back - a commenter left a link to a Postcard collection in 1905 which purportedly shows the "last" death by the thousand cuts in China before this form of punishment was outlawed. Turandot:Chinese Torture at http://turandot.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/Event.php?ID=1 Another link at the same site is http://turandot.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/Essay.php?ID=34 If possible, this particular article is more disturbing than the chinaSMACK piece due, I think, to the accompanying descriptions of each cut that was carried out by the executioners of the criminal who was not under the influence of opium. If one is inclined to learn more about this practice, the above link(s) should provide you with a wealth of info.
China, the country with the highest culture in the world. *oink*. And -5000 years "youngold". Not much has changed since 1905 here. They only changed the dress but under their smiling surface they are the same folks.
Occidental societies' administration of punishment for serious crimes was by no means superior. Hanged, drawn and quartered was, in my view, hardly a more civil way to punish an individual for a crime. This method was used in England and Ireland until the 1800's, at which time it was abolished.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanged,_drawn_and_quartered
Additionally, some say, these unusual forms of execution were merely a spectacular show put on by the authorities to satisfy the bloodlust of the local populace and would also serve, hopefully, as a deterrent. Thankfully, the condemned died long before the "show" concluded.
Research will reveal, throughout history many cultures and societies had unique and horrific ways that were ritualistic and sensational to punish criminals. These barbarous methods for eliminating transgressors from the ranks is by no means limited to China or Asia.
It's a product of the 'Human Condition.'
I agree with wdbox's comment above -- to say "not much has changed since 1905 here" reveals your ignorance jack. Hell, the country has changed since 2005.
to wdbox,
The link you provided with the explaination or justification of this -not sure how to descibe it- but is disgusting disturbing is a load of extreme post modern garbage that relies on absolute relativity with a bit of framing processes theory from social movement theory.
It can appear as sophisticated as it wants and only understood by those with a supposed higher propensity to comprehend their surrounings and ways of devopling cultural frames and ridding themselves of "ignorance" but its just as "normal" folks would say is bullshit.
of course our percpetions of others are shaped by power structures that influence all aspects of our lives, yet coming from a non-western background myself I can say that there is something worth investigating about Chinese (Han) attitudes towards the value of life, and ridding others of pain. Chinese authoritarian (and cruel) oppression is still inflicted on its dissenting populace and minorities ( in ways more than what the most despotic regimes in the world do). People do not bother about the sufferings of others, and when others in public suffer illegally or or accidently it become a spectacle. Animals are tortured with pleasure, slayin and skinned alive and eatin and cooked alive.
its what I would like to call as possessing some sort of social diseases. Mass and collective distorted humanization process in comparison to the generalities that prevail in all other cultures.