Many people associate China with the tea ceremony, with unique architecture, original cuisine, wushu and the wise thoughts of Confucius. But there is also a special culture in the Celestial Empire - a culture of punishments and executions. Our review contains 15 real shocking photographs of people who experienced all the delights of the Chinese punitive system.
Even at the beginning of the 20th century in China, when it came to punishing criminals, preference was given to the death penalty with slow killing. Very often, the death penalty was requested by the relatives of the offender themselves, since being kept in prison was an unbearable burden on their shoulders.
Of course, over the past few decades, regimes in Asian countries have become somewhat softer. But shocking traditions and “spiritual bonds” remain the cornerstone of this society. And today, for freethinking (by the way, unauthorized access to Facebook is regarded as such an offense), the head of a kreaklu will no longer be cut off, but they can put him on a chain in a dungeon.
The punitive system of China 100 - 120 years ago differed from the European one in its voluntarism. The emperor's decrees on punishment were issued only when it came to the most serious state crimes - the murder of an official, surrender, etc. All other crimes and misdemeanors were left to the local judges and authorities, and they considered it their duty to come up with a sophisticated method of punishment.
Cutting off noses, removing kneecaps, branding, cutting off ears and feet were widely used in China to punish criminals. Criminals were burned at the stake, their ribs were broken out, they were torn apart by chariots, and sometimes they were forced to kneel and their hands were tied to a cross and in this position they were left in the sun.
Burying alive in the ground was especially popular. Only the head remained on the surface. It was believed that such a death would be a good lesson to other people. Castration also became widespread in China, after which most of the unfortunate people died from blood poisoning.
To carry out punishments, a wide variety of tools were used: knives and saws, axes and poleaxes, chisels and drills, whips, sticks and needles.
In an effort to make the punishment more severe, judges came up with the “Five Punishments” execution, which involved first branding the criminal, cutting off his legs and arms, then beating him with sticks, cutting off his head and putting it on public display.
In prisons, which were an ordinary earthen pit, people were kept, as a rule, for a short time. The family had to pay for the maintenance of the convicted person, but only a small part of society could afford this.
For such offenses as insulting an official, theft, etc. Jia stocks were put on the person. This punishment was very common because it did not require imprisonment. Sometimes, to reduce the cost of punishment, several prisoners were shackled in one neck block. But even in this case, his relatives had to feed the criminal.
The most terrible Chinese execution was beheading. The fact is that the Chinese believed that in the afterlife they would look the same as at the moment of death. Therefore, the relatives of the criminal were even ready to give a bribe so that any other execution would be applied to him. As an alternative, strangulation and the so-called cage were used.
When it came to strangulation, the criminal was tied to a pole with a rope around his neck. The ends of the rope were in the hands of the executioners, who slowly wound the rope onto special sticks, strangling the unfortunate man. Strangulation sometimes turned into real torture, as the executioners from time to time loosened the rope, allowing the victim to take a convulsive breath, and then tightened the noose again.
The Chinese cage (Li-chia or “standing stocks”) was a neck block that was fixed on top of a cage made of wooden or bamboo poles at a height of about 2 meters. The convict was placed in a cage, and tiles or bricks were placed under his feet, which were gradually removed. As the executioner pulled out another brick from under the unfortunate man’s feet, he hung with his neck in the block. This suffocation could continue for months.
Historians believe that the first civilized executions in China took place only in 1900, when the French occupiers shot participants in the Boxer Rebellion.
The history of 20th century China is inextricably linked with the communist regime. became one of the most significant in the modern history of the Celestial Empire.
With the development of civilization, human life acquired value regardless of social status and wealth. It is all the more terrible to read about the dark pages of history, when the law did not simply deprive a person of life, but turned execution into a spectacle for the amusement of the common people. In other cases, the execution could be ritual or edifying in nature. Unfortunately, there are similar episodes in modern history. We have compiled a list of the most brutal executions ever practiced by people.
Executions of the Ancient World
Skafism
The word “scaphism” is derived from the ancient Greek word “trough”, “boat”, and the method itself went down in history thanks to Plutarch, who described the execution of the Greek ruler Mithridates at the behest of Artaxerxes, the king of the ancient Persians.First, the person was stripped naked and tied inside two dugout boats in such a way that his head, arms and legs remained outside, which were thickly coated with honey. The victim was then force-fed a mixture of milk and honey to induce diarrhea. After this, the boat was lowered onto still water - a pond or lake. Lured by the smell of honey and sewage, insects clung to the human body, slowly devoured the flesh and laid larvae in the resulting gangrenous ulcers. The victim survived for up to two weeks. Death occurred from three factors: infection, exhaustion and dehydration.
Execution by impalement was invented in Assyria (modern Iraq). In this way, residents of rebellious cities and women who had an abortion were punished - then this procedure was considered infanticide. 
The execution was carried out in two ways. In one version, the convict was pierced with a stake through the chest, in the other, the tip of the stake passed through the body through the anus. Tormented people were often depicted in bas-reliefs as edification. Later, this execution began to be used by the peoples of the Middle East and the Mediterranean, as well as by Slavic peoples and some European ones.
Execution by elephants
This method was used mainly in India and Sri Lanka. Indian elephants are highly trainable, which is what the rulers of Southeast Asia took advantage of. 
There were many ways to kill a person with the help of an elephant. For example, armor with sharp spears was put on the tusks, with which the elephant pierced the criminal and then, while still alive, tore him into pieces. But most often, elephants were trained to crush the condemned with their feet and alternately tear off limbs with their trunks. In India, a guilty person was often simply thrown under the feet of an angry animal. For reference, an Indian elephant weighs about 5 tons.
Tradition to the Beasts
Behind the beautiful phrase “Damnatio ad bestias” lies the painful death of thousands of ancient Romans, especially among the early Christians. Although, of course, this method was invented long before the Romans. Typically, lions were used for execution; bears, panthers, leopards and buffaloes were less popular. 
There were two types of execution. Often, a person sentenced to death was tied to a pole in the middle of the gladiatorial arena and wild animals were unleashed on him. There were also variations: they were thrown into the cage of a hungry animal or tied to its back. In another case, the unfortunate man was forced to fight against the beast. Their weapons were a simple spear, and their “armor” was a tunic. In both cases, many spectators gathered for the execution.
Death on the cross
Crucifixion was invented by the Phoenicians, an ancient seafaring people who lived in the Mediterranean. Later, this method was adopted by the Carthaginians, and then by the Romans. The Israelis and Romans considered death on the cross to be the most shameful, because it was the way to execute hardened criminals, slaves and traitors. 
Before the crucifixion, the person was undressed, leaving only a loincloth. He was beaten with leather whips or freshly cut rods, after which he was forced to carry a cross weighing about 50 kilograms to the place of crucifixion. Having dug the cross into the ground by the road outside the city or on a hill, the person was lifted with ropes and nailed to a horizontal bar. Sometimes the convict's legs were first crushed with an iron rod. Death occurred from exhaustion, dehydration or pain shock.
After the ban of Christianity in feudal Japan in the 17th century. the crucifix was used against visiting missionaries and Japanese Christians. The execution scene on the cross is present in Martin Scorsese's drama Silence, which tells exactly about this period.
Execution by bamboo
The ancient Chinese were champions of sophisticated torture and execution. One of the most exotic methods of killing is stretching the culprit over growing shoots of young bamboo. The sprouts made their way through the human body for several days, causing incredible suffering to the executed person. 
Ling-chi
“Ling-chi” is translated into Russian as “sea pike bites.” There was another name - “death by a thousand cuts.” This method was used during the reign of the Qing dynasty, and high-ranking officials convicted of corruption were executed in this way. Every year there were 15-20 such people. 
The essence of “ling chi” is the gradual cutting off of small parts from the body. For example, having cut off one phalanx of a finger, the executioner cauterized the wound and then proceeded to the next one. The court determined how many pieces needed to be cut from the body. The most popular verdict was cutting into 24 parts, and the most notorious criminals were sentenced to 3 thousand cuts. In such cases, the victim was given opium: this way she did not lose consciousness, but the pain made its way even through the veil of drug intoxication.
Sometimes, as a sign of special mercy, the ruler could order the executioner to first kill the condemned with one blow and then torture the corpse. This method of execution was practiced for 900 years and was banned in 1905.
Executions of the Middle Ages
Bloody Eagle
Historians question the existence of the Blood Eagle execution, but mention of it is found in Scandinavian folklore. This method was used by residents of Scandinavian countries in the early Middle Ages. 
The harsh Vikings killed their enemies as painfully and symbolically as possible. The man's hands were tied and he was placed on his stomach on a stump. The skin on the back was carefully cut with a sharp blade, then the ribs were pryed with an ax, breaking them out into a shape that resembled an eagle's wings. After this, the lungs were removed from the still living victim and hung on the ribs.
This execution is shown twice in the TV series Vikings with Travis Fimmel (in episode 7 of season 2 and episode 18 of season 4), although viewers noted the contradictions between the serial execution and the one described in the folklore Elder Edda.
"Bloody Eagle" in the TV series "Vikings"
Tearing by trees
Such execution was common in many regions of the world, including Rus' in the pre-Christian period. The victim was tied by the legs to two leaning trees, which were then abruptly released. One of the legends says that Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans in 945 - because he wanted to collect tribute from them twice. 
Quartering
The method was used as in medieval Europe. Each limb was tied to horses - the animals tore the condemned person into 4 parts. In Rus' they also practiced quartering, but this word meant a completely different execution - the executioner alternately chopped off with an ax first the legs, then the arms, and then the head. 
Wheeling
Wheeling as a form of death penalty was widely used in France and Germany during the Middle Ages. In Russia, this type of execution was also known at a later time - from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The essence of the punishment was that first the guilty person was tied to the wheel, facing the sky, with his arms and legs fastened to the spokes. After that, his limbs were broken and in this form they were left to die in the sun. 
Flaying
Flaying, or skinning, was invented in Assyria, then moved to Persia and spread throughout the Ancient World. In the Middle Ages, the Inquisition improved this type of execution - with the help of a device called the “Spanish tickler,” a person’s skin was torn into small pieces, which were not difficult to tear off. 
Welded alive
This execution was also invented in ancient times and received a second wind in the Middle Ages. This is how they executed mostly counterfeiters. A person caught counterfeiting money was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, resin or oil. This variety was quite humane - the criminal quickly died from painful shock. More sophisticated executioners put the condemned man in a cauldron of cold water, which was heated gradually, or slowly lowered him into boiling water, starting from the feet. The welded leg muscles were coming away from the bones, but the man was still alive. 
Execution by rats
The prisoner's legs and arms were tightly tied to a metal bench, and a rat cage with the bottom broken off was placed on his stomach. Then the executioner brought the burner to the cage, and the animals began to panic and look for a way out. And there was only one - through the body of the victim. 
Modern executions
Dissolution in acid
It is generally accepted that the Sicilian Mafia began dissolving victims in acid. In this regard, the name of the mafia killer Giovanni Brusca is well known. Suspecting that his comrade was “dropping” into the police, Brusca kidnapped his 11-year-old son and dissolved him alive in an acid-filled bathtub.This execution is also practiced by extremists in the East. According to Saddam Hussein's former bodyguard, he witnessed an acid execution: first, the victim's legs were lowered into a pool filled with a caustic substance, and then they were thrown whole. And in 2016, militants of the banned organization ISIS dissolved 25 people in a cauldron of acid.
Cement boots
This method is well known to many of our readers from gangster films. Indeed, they killed their enemies and traitors using this cruel method during the mafia wars in Chicago. The victim was tied to a chair, then a basin filled with liquid cement was placed under his feet. And when it froze, the person was taken to the nearest body of water and thrown off the boat. Cement boots instantly dragged him to the bottom to feed the fish. 
Death flights
In 1976, General Jorge Videla came to power in Argentina. He led the country for only 5 years, but remained in history as one of the most terrible dictators of our time. Among other atrocities of Videla are the so-called “death flights”. 
A man who opposed the tyrant’s regime was pumped full of barbiturates and, in an unconscious state, carried on board an airplane, then thrown down - certainly into the water.
We also invite you to read about the most mysterious deaths in history.
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Before our era, executions were particularly cruel. The Chinese turned out to be the most “inventive” in terms of cruel bullying; they tried to keep up with them in other countries, inventing their own “trademark” executions.
Horrible Chinese executions
Perhaps no one could surpass the Chinese in inventing cruel executions. One of the most exotic ways of punishing criminals is to stretch it over growing shoots of young bamboo. The shoots grew through the human body within a few days, causing incredible suffering to the person being executed. It was in China that a person who did not report a criminal could be cut in half, and it was there that they first began to bury people in the ground alive.Executions in ancient China were particularly cruel. Executioners in China often sawed women for any reason. It is known that cooks were sawn only because the whiteness of the rice they cooked did not match the color of the Master’s wisdom. The women were stripped and, having secured sharp saws between their legs, they were hung by their hands on rings. They could not hang in a taut state for a long time; it was impossible to sit without moving and on the edge of a saw. Thus, the cooks sawed themselves from the womb to the very chest.
Executioner is one of the most terrible professions. To increase the severity of punishment, Chinese judges used execution, which was called “the implementation of five types of punishment.” The criminal was first branded, then his legs and arms were cut off, and he was beaten to death with sticks. The head of the executed person was put on public display in the market.
List of the most terrible executions
The rulers of different countries established the death penalty for a variety of crimes. Often executions were invented by the judges or executioners themselves. They were the most cruel before our era.
In China, they carried out terrible executions at the stadium. It must be said that European countries were less inventive in terms of executions. Europeans preferred quick, “painless” killing.
"Punishment by the Wall"
Execution called "punishment by the wall" was invented in Ancient Egypt. In essence, this is the immuring of a person by Egyptian priests in a dungeon wall. The person executed in this way simply died from suffocation.
In ancient Egypt they came up with very sophisticated executions. In the opera “Aida” you can see a scene of such an execution. For the committed state crime, Radomes and Aida were doomed to a slow death in a stone tomb.
Crucifixion
For the first time, execution by crucifixion was used by the Phoenicians. After some time, this method was adopted from them by the Carthaginians, and then by the Romans.
Crucifixion is the most famous execution. The Israelis and Romans considered death on the cross to be the most shameful. Hardened criminals and slaves were often executed this way. Before the crucifixion, the person was undressed, leaving only a loincloth. He was beaten with leather whips or freshly cut rods, after which he was forced to carry the cross himself to the place of crucifixion. Having dug the cross into the ground by the road outside the city or on a hill, the person was lifted with ropes and nailed to it. Sometimes the convict's legs were first broken.
Impalement
Execution by impalement was invented in Assyria. In this way, residents of rebellious cities and women were punished for committing an abortion, that is, for infanticide.
Impalement is a common method of execution. In Assyria, execution was carried out in two ways. In one version, the convict was pierced with a stake through the chest, in the other, the tip of the stake passed through the body through the anus. People who were tormented on stakes were often depicted on bas-reliefs as an edification. Later, this execution began to be used by the peoples of the Middle East and the Mediterranean.
"Trough torture"
One of the most terrible tortures is “trough torture.” The person was placed between two troughs fitted one next to the other, leaving only his head and legs outside. The executed person was forced to eat; if he refused, they pierced his eyes with needles. After eating, milk and honey were poured into the unfortunate person’s mouth, and the face was smeared with the same mixture. The trough was turned towards the sun so that it always shone into the person’s eyes.
A simple trough can become a terrible weapon of torture. After some time, worms appeared in human sewage, crawled into the intestines and ate the condemned person from the inside. When he finally died and the trough was removed, underneath were entrails teeming with various creatures. The meat was already completely eaten.
The most terrible and painful execution
The most terrible execution was invented in China and was used during the reign of the Qing dynasty. Its name is “Liyin-Chi” or “sea pike bites”. It was also called “death by a thousand cuts.” Every year, fifteen to twenty people were executed in this way, and only high-ranking corrupt officials.
“Sea pike bites” is the most terrible Chinese execution in the world. The peculiarity of “Lin-Chi” is in stretching out the execution over time. If a criminal was sentenced to six months or even a year of torment, the executioner was obliged to extend it for exactly this period. The essence of execution is cutting off small parts from a person’s body. For example, having cut off one phalanx of a finger, a professional executioner cauterized the wound and sent the condemned man to his cell. The next morning the next phalanx was cut off and cauterization was performed again. This went on every day.
Suicide was considered a way to avoid a terrible execution. It was important to prevent the suicide of the criminal or his premature death. For this, the executioner himself could be executed. By the end of such a sophisticated execution, the body of the recently groomed official turned into a piece of smoked, quivering meat. Physical suffering in this execution was combined with psychological, moral and status. Not only executions are terrible, but also diseases. Some believe that such diseases are given to people as punishment for their sins.
From the Heretic's Fork to being eaten alive by insects, these horrific old torture methods prove that humans have always been cruel.
Getting a confession is not always easy, and sentencing someone to death always requires a lot of so-called creativity. The following horrific torture and execution methods of the ancient world were designed to humiliate and dehumanize victims in their final moments. Which of these methods do you think is the most cruel?
“Rack” (began to be used in ancient times)
The victim's ankles were tied to one end of this device and his wrists to the other. The mechanism of this device is as follows: during the interrogation process, the victim’s limbs are stretched in different directions. During this process, the bones and ligaments make amazing sounds, and until the victim confesses, his joints are twisted or, worse, the victim is simply torn apart.
"Cradle of Judas" (origin: Ancient Rome)
This method was widely used in the Middle Ages to gain recognition. This “cradle of Judas” was feared throughout Europe. The victim was strapped down to limit his freedom of action and lowered onto a chair with a pyramid-shaped seat. With each lifting and lowering of the victim, the top of the pyramid further tore the anus or vagina, often causing septic shock or death.
"Copper Bull" (origin: Ancient Greece)
This is what can be called hell on earth, this is the worst thing that can happen. The “Copper Bull” is a torture device, it is not one of the most complex designs, it looked exactly like a bull. The entrance to this structure was on the belly of the so-called animal; it was a kind of chamber. The victim was thrust inside, the door was closed, the statue was heated, and this all continued until the victim inside was fried to death.
"Heretic's Fork" (began to be used in medieval Spain)
Used to extract confessions during the Spanish Inquisition. The heretic's fork was even engraved with the Latin inscription "I renounce." This is a reversible fork, a simple device that fits around the neck. 2 spikes were clamped to the chest, and the other 2 to the throat. The victim was unable to talk or sleep, and the frenzy usually led to confession.
"Choke pear" (origin unknown, first mentioned in France)
This device was intended for women, homosexuals and liars. Shaped in the shape of a ripe fruit, it had a rather intimate design, and in the literal sense of the word. Once inserted into the vagina, anus or mouth, the device (which had four sharp metal sheets) was opened. The sheets expanded wider and wider, thereby tearing the victim apart.
Torture by rats (origin unknown, possibly UK)
Despite the fact that there are many options for torture with rats, the most common was the one that involved fixing the victim so that he could not move. The rat was placed on the victim's body and covered with a container. Then the container was heated, and the rat desperately began to look for a way out and tore the person apart. The rat dug and dug, slowly burrowing into the man until he died.
Crucifixion (origin unknown)
Although today it is a symbol of the world's greatest religion (Christianity), crucifixion was once a cruel form of humiliating death. The condemned man was nailed to the cross, often done in public, and left hanging so that all the blood would drain from his wounds and he would die. Death sometimes occurred only after a week. The crucifix is likely still in use today (albeit rarely) in places like Burma and Saudi Arabia.
Scaphism (most likely appeared in Ancient Persia)
Death occurred because the victim was eaten alive by insects. The condemned person was placed in a boat or simply tied with chains to a tree and force-fed milk and honey. This happened until the victim began to have diarrhea. She was then left to sit in her own excrement, and soon insects flocked to the stench. Death usually occurred from dehydration, septic shock or gangrene.
Torture with a saw (began to be used in ancient times)
Everyone, from the Persians to the Chinese, practiced this form of death, such as sawing the victim. Often the victim was hung upside down (thus increasing blood flow to the head), with a large saw placed between them. The executioners slowly sawed the man's body in half, drawing out the process to make death as painful as possible.
The death penalty - there is so much horror in this word. The associations are not pleasant. The torment of man and the cruelty of the executioners gives me goosebumps. There are many methods of carrying out the death penalty, and each of them is even more severe and inventive than the other. The past of all mankind was so cruel and brutal that life was worthless, and hundreds of people died in painful torture. The most terrible executions of the ancient world are long gone, but some of them can be read about in historical literature.
Persian toughness
The most terrible and painful executions have begun since the times of the ancient Persians. One such method involved tying the victim to a tree, leaving only his limbs. Next they fed him honey and milk to induce diarrhea. The victim's body was coated with sweet and sticky honey to attract as many insects as possible. They in turn multiplied in the feces and his skin. The victim died in agony several weeks later from septic shock and dehydration.
Execution by an elephant
In Carthage, Rome and Asian countries, the death sentence was carried out with the help of an animal, namely an elephant. Asian elephants were trained for many years and could either kill the victim immediately or take turns, slowly breaking bones one after another.
Many European travelers describe this method of execution in their observations. Using a similar method of killing a person, Asian rulers demonstrated that they were the rightful rulers of not only people, but also animals. This method of execution was mainly used for prisoners of war.
European cruelty
But the executions of Rome and Carthage did not end there. A crowd of onlookers gathered in the amphitheaters to watch how huge, wild tigers and lions tore to death the criminals released into the arena. Such an execution was a holiday for everyone and whole families came to watch it.
In that era there was another terrible execution - crucifixion. This is how the Son of God Jesus Christ was executed. The man was stripped, beaten with sticks, thrown with stones, and then forced to carry his cross to the place of execution. On the hill, the cross was buried in the ground and a person was nailed to it with huge nails. The convict died long and painfully from thirst and painful shock. This method of execution was mainly used for criminals who had committed more than one atrocity.
The most terrible executions in the world took place in Rus'. The victims of such massacres were primarily those who committed crimes against the government, as well as those related to sex, culture and religion. From those very times the expression came about: impalement. This was the execution itself, when a person was impaled, slowly pierced through his body. People died from hellish pain within a few days.
Ancient Egypt was also famous for its method of execution. This method was called “punishment by the wall.” The name speaks for itself. People were simply immured alive in the wall and they died of suffocation. Composer Verdi in his opera Aida describes this moment when the main character and her lover are sentenced to such punishment.
Executions of the Celestial Empire
The most cruel people in the history of mankind were the Chinese. How the execution would take place was decided by the executioners and judges themselves. Their fantasies cannot be compared with others in their ingenuity. One method was to stretch a person over young bamboo shoots. Since the plant itself grows quickly, within a few days the bamboo entered the person like a spear and continued to grow in his body. The slow death of a person in agony came.
It was in China that they came up with the idea of burying a living person in the ground, and he died there from suffocation. Another method of torture and long suffering of a person was death by a thousand cuts. If a criminal was sentenced to a year of torment, then the executioner extended this execution for a year. Every day he came to the criminal’s cell and cut off a small part of his body. Then he immediately cauterized the wound with fire to stop the bleeding and prevent the person from dying.
And the procedure was repeated day after day for a year until the person died. Moreover, if the executioner failed to cope with the task and the convict died before the appointed time, an equally painful death awaited him.
The worst executions in human history were carried out on Chinese women. They were simply sawed in half. It is worth noting that they were nagged for any reason and because of any offense. The women were undressed, hung by their hands on rings, and sharp saws were fastened between their legs. Naturally, they could not hang for long and sawed themselves right down to their breasts.
We have looked at some of the most terrible executions in the entire history of mankind, but this is just a small part of the sophisticated imagination of our ancestors. Different cultures also used a method of execution such as skinning alive. The person was simply tied to a table or pole and the skin was cut off into small pieces. All this happened in front of other people, and for many it was entertainment. Death occurred from loss of blood and pain shock.
The “Wheel” execution is one of the same mass events. The victim was tied to a rotating wheel, and the executioner delivered chaotic blows to different parts of the body. After such torture, the person was left to die in front of the entire crowd.
Execution of the criminal world
One of the last types of execution of our time comes from Africa. This method of execution has been used repeatedly by criminal groups. The essence of the execution was that rubber tires were put on a person, doused with gasoline and set on fire. The man was simply burning alive, screaming in pain.
The death penalty in modern civilized society is prohibited in many countries of the world, but countries such as China still use this capital punishment for very serious crimes. Of course, such cruelty as in ancient times no longer occurs. In modern society, the death penalty is used in the form of: shooting, lethal injection or the electric chair. Today the criminal dies instantly.
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