The Executioner's Lonely Old Years: Deng Haishan, China's last executioner, cut off more than 300 heads, but suffered the tragic fate of no one to collect the corpses!
Executioner, the name of this ancient profession is always associated with blood, but the life story behind it is often overlooked. Today, we focus on China's last executioner, Deng Haishan, who cut off more than 300 heads in his life and made a lot of money. However, in his later years, he suffered misery, and even had no one to collect his body after his death. Is all this a trick of fate, or is it the result of his own choice?
The Inheritance and Origin of the Executioner's Profession.
Executioner is one of the oldest professions in ancient China. However, unlike the common images in TV dramas, the executioner is not a simple **, but an art that has been passed down for thousands of years. In feudal society, there was a saying to describe the executioner: "The executioner's knife, the eyes of the man, the craftsmanship of the paper-binding man, and the needle and thread of the two-leatherman." This mystical profession was believed to possess supernatural powers in ancient times, and the sword was regarded as a magic weapon to ward off evil spirits.
However, the executioner profession is not for everyone. In ancient times, the act of beheading was not only brutal, but also repulsed by society. As a result, the earliest executioners were forcibly appointed by the government until poverty at the bottom of the society skyrocketed, and some people took up the profession of executioners in order to earn a living.
The Executioner's Skill and Ritual.
The profession of executioner has its ancestors, including "Fan Xu, Zhang Fei, Wei Zheng" and so on. The executioner is usually a butcher, so the skill of the butcher is listed as one of the ancestors. The executioner's skills include sharpening knives, chopping winter melons, and other Xi to ensure accurate and swift execution.
Before the execution, the executioner would perform a series of rituals, such as drinking alcohol, worshipping heaven and earth, and worshipping ghosts and gods. The purpose of this series of rituals is to stop resentment, pray for forgiveness from heaven and earth, and reduce psychological burden. However, these rituals are only a small part of the executioner's strict and mysterious work.
Deng Haishan's hard growth and his master's adoption.
Deng Haishan, China's last executioner, was born in a poor family in Hunan in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. Under the influence of years of war and infectious diseases, Deng Haishan lost his family and became an orphan. In order to make ends meet, he had to beg for a living, but because of his ugly appearance, no one even gave him food.
In these desperate days, Deng Haishan met the noble man of his life - the famous Hunan executioner "Tong Shaoji". Because of Deng Haishan's strong physique, Tong Shaoji decided to adopt him as an apprentice and teach him the skills of an executioner. Deng Haishan accepted the master's teaching, and after a long period of accumulation, he finally mastered the art of cutting heads.
The sudden change of occupation and the advent of retribution.
Deng Haishan rose to prominence in the profession of executioner, not only earning a considerable income, but also taking the initiative to accept execution tasks. However, he did not follow the rules of his master, who had told him not to kill more than a hundred people or he would be punished. Deng Haishan didn't care, and continued to cut off his head, and finally cut off more than 300 heads.
With the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the cruel punishment of the executioner was abolished. Deng Haishan lost his job, but what is even more tragic is the rejection of him by society. His former beheading career has become a burden that he can't get rid of. No one wanted to associate with him, no one wanted to marry him, the accumulated wealth gradually ran out, and Deng Haishan became helpless in his later years.
The misery of old age and the coming of retribution.
In 1925, Deng Haishan died in a thatched hut in the suburbs. In his later years, he lived a life of wandering and begging, his life was desolate, and he was even neglected again after his death, and no one was willing to deal with the aftermath for him. Some people think that this is the retribution predicted by the master, but some people believe that the reason why Deng Haishan ended up like this is because of the limitations of the times and the ruthlessness of society.
While we examine Deng Haishan's life, we can't help but think about the essence of the profession of executioner. Are they really cold-blooded and cruel **, or are they poor people forced by history and society?Deng Haishan's fate may be a prisoner of the times, he has risen and fallen in the long river of history, becoming a legend that is both unbearable and unforgiving.
Epilogue: A Symphony of Blood and Fate.
Deng Haishan's life is like a symphony of blood and fate, interspersed with the ups and downs of fate and the twists and turns of human nature. He was the last executioner of China and a victim of the ruthless iron hooves of that era. In the years of swords and swords, his life has followed like a shadow, becoming a heavy historical symbol, which is thought-provoking.
Perhaps, we cannot fully understand Deng Haishan's choice, but the story behind it reflects the predicament of an era and the fate of an individual. He is a drop of blood in the long river of history, and a soul forgotten by the times. While we judge him, perhaps we should examine the cruelty of that era and the struggle of human nature in the face of fate.
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