Lingchi: The Gruesome History of "Death by a Thousand Cuts"

Lingchi: The Gruesome History of "Death by a Thousand Cuts"

Lingchi, an ancient Chinese execution technique, has a sordid past in history. Also known as "slow slicing" or "death by a thousand cuts,"  Lingchi was a type of capital punishment designed to cause the most amount of suffering possible while also serving as a deterrent. 

The practice has its origins dating back to the tenth century. The penalty was reserved for more serious offences like murder or treason. An extra layer of terror was provided by the ritualistic aspect of Lingchi, which frequently involved public executions that turned the act into a macabre spectacle.

This cruel procedure was intended to make the condemned suffer for a longer period of time. With a keen sword, the executioner would carefully chop off tiny pieces of the victim's body. The goal was to inflict severe suffering over a protracted period of time rather than to immediately cause death. Usually, the executioner began with the abdomen and chest and worked his way down to the limbs and other body parts.

Lingchi was not merely a method of punishment but also a symbolic act. The slow and deliberate nature of the cuts aimed to symbolise the severity of the crime committed. It was also believed that with the body in pieces, the person's soul could not be "whole" in the afterlife. And of course, the public nature of the execution served as a warning to onlookers, reinforcing the consequences of defying the law of the Emperor.

Although the usage of Lingchi continued for centuries, perceptions of such severe punishment started to shift in the early 20th Century when China underwent legal and sociological reforms. The Qing Dynasty formally outlawed Lingchi in 1905.