Why did ancient punishment like spanking?
spanking is just a popular saying among our folks. In ancient times, it was a form of criminal law called gauntlet or caning . In the pre-Qin period, the punishment was heavier, and the lightest punishment was corporal punishment. After the emperor of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne, in order to reduce the punishment, the punishment of gauntlet was added to the statutory punishment, so as to avoid serious and misdemeanor crimes that would injure the human body.
However, the flogging at this time is not as simple as spanking, but also beatings on the waist, abdomen, and back, so local officials are often inaccurate about the number of punishments when judging. The original light flogging, there are also cases of killing people. After , Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty came to the throne, further reforms were carried out. The gauntlet was limited to avoid critical parts such as the chest, abdomen, and waist. The gauntlet became only the buttocks and back. Later dynasties added cane punishment on this basis.
Gauntlet Image source: Tencent
So what is the difference between flogging or caning? In fact, the parts of the two are the same, the difference is that thorns or rattan are used for flogging, and long wooden boards are used for caning. We can think of caning as an upgraded version of gauntlet. So, when did the double cane become a spanking only?
Gauntlet Image source: Tencent
This starts from Tang Taizong period. When Emperor Taizong Li Shimin was in power, someone gave him a picture of a human figure in Mingtang, which painted the main acupuncture points and meridians of the human body. After reading it, Emperor Taizong found that the main acupuncture points and meridians of the human body are distributed in the chest, abdomen, back, etc., while the meridian points of the buttocks are few. He also thought about occasionally killing people with a cane. Therefore, Emperor Taizong of Tang ordered the reform of the two punishments of the cane and the cane, and stipulated that the back of the prisoner should be removed and only the buttocks should be beaten during execution. Through such reforms, the death rate of prisoners was greatly reduced.
Zhangxing Image source: Tencent
In addition to the reasons for reducing the mortality rate, the ancients liked to punish prisoners by spanking, and naturally there were other reasons.
First of all, there is a lot of fat in the buttocks of the human body. Compared with other parts of the human body, spanking is less likely to injure muscles and bones. Don't worry about being killed, the injury will be better. Therefore, punishing some inmates with relatively minor crimes can allow their wounds to heal faster, so that they can be put into work and production in time.
Secondly, although spanking does not easily kill people, it also causes severe pain, and this pain can also stimulate the prisoner.
Third, the buttocks are private parts. The ancients were very particular about etiquette and shame. It's a shame to be punished in public. Being spanked in public is as humiliating as being slapped in public. More so for women.
Some dynasties also required you to take off your clothes when spanking. This requirement is very cruel to women. In front of many strangers, they are stripped of their pants and tortured, which not only brings pain to women , and more of a spiritual disgrace. Spanking will bring physical torture and mental humiliation to the prisoner, and it is not fatal at the same time.
Finally a few words, if your child makes a mischievous mistake and you want to spank him, it's best to do a spanking, but be careful with the rest of your child's body.
