Five Punishments

The Five Punishments () was the collective name for a series of physical penalties meted out by the legal system of pre-modern dynastic China. Over time, the nature of the Five Punishments varied. Before the time of Western Han dynasty Emperor Han Wendi (r. 180–157 BC) they involved tattooing, cutting off the nose, amputation of one or both feet, castration and death. Following the Sui and Tang dynasties (581–907 AD) these were changed to penal servitude, banishment, death, or corporal punishment in the form of whipping with bamboo strips or flogging with a stick. Although the Five Punishments were an important part of Dynastic China's penal system they were not the only methods of punishment used.
Origin.
The earliest users of the Five Punishments are believed by some to be the Sanmiao Clan (三苗氏). Other sources claim they originated with Chiyou, the legendary creator of metalwork and weapons and leader of the ancient Nine Li (九黎) ethnic group. During the subsequent Xia dynasty (ca. 2070 BC–ca. 1600 BC), Qi of Xia, son of Yu the Great, the dynasty's founder, adopted the Miao's punishments of amputation of one or both feet ("yuè" 刖), cutting off of the nose ("yì" 劓), chiseling ("zhuó" 琢), tattooing the face or forehead ("qíng" 黥) and other types of punishment. Tattooing, amputation of the nose or feet, removal of the reproductive organs and death became the main five forms of the punishment system during this period. From the Xia Dynasty onwards through the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BC) and the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). The "Five Punishments for Slaves" were abolished during the reign of Emperor Wen of Han following a petition from a female subject Chunyu Tiying (淳于緹縈), and replaced by the "Five Punishments for Serfs".
The Five Punishments in ancient China.
Apart from the death penalty, the remaining four Punishments for Slaves were designed to bring about damage to their bodies that would mark them for life. All ordinary citizens were subjected to these punishments. These punishments were for men. The number of crimes to which the punishment was applicable is listed next to each one.
The Five Punishments in Imperial China.
During the Western Han dynasty, tattooing and amputation were abolished as punishments and in subsequent dynasties, the five punishments underwent further modification. By the Sui dynasty, the five punishments had attained the basic form they would have until the end of the imperial era. This is a brief survey of the five punishments during the Qing dynasty:
The scale of the remittance payments can be gauged from the fact that at the time of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736–1795 AD), the average wage of a construction laborer in Zhili Province was 0.72 "wén" or 0.6 troy ounces of silver per day.
These punishments were applied to women for the same crimes as committed by men.
External links.
"This article is based on in the Chinese Wikipedia."