Lingchi: Death by a Thousand Cuts
Ancient Chinese Brutal Way of Torture
The ancient Chinese torture method is known as “Lingchi” or ‘‘death by a thousand cuts’’ or ‘‘slow slicing.’’ It was a brutal and cruel torture practice in medieval China. In this torture, the prisoner or guilty person was tied to a wooden block.
A sharp knife was used to multiple slices the body and methodically remove limbs, chest & other parts.
The slicing starts with chest muscles until the ribs are visible, then the next person cuts the arms muscles slowly slicing the flesh until they see bones, the same process with legs.
In the end, slicing leads up to the final cut to the heart. the whole process would take more than 3 days, and over 3,000 cuts.
Well, this punishment was not for the usual crime. Ling chi was only for serious worse crimes such as treason, mass murder, or patricide.
The torturous method was used as early as the 10th century, and after a thousand years, it was banned in 1905.
