In ancient China, there were some extremely cruel punishments, the most well-known of which were Ling Chi and Ren Bi, the former was to dismember people alive, and the latter was to turn people into pigs. However, there is one punishment that may be even more cruel, and that is the lighting of sky lanterns.
The lantern was lit in a unique way of execution, in which the prisoner was tightly wrapped in a cloth and then immersed in an oil tank. After the whole body was completely soaked in oil, the prisoner was raised, and when night fell, the executioner tied him to a high post and lit a torch to burn from his feet. In addition to experiencing severe physical pain, the prisoner also had to endure the ridicule and accusations of the people around him.
Those who are punished by lighting sky lanterns are usually criminals who have committed serious crimes. Many stories in history record this cruel punishment, such as in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", Dong Zhuo was also tortured by lighting a sky lantern after being killed. Another case is Hong Xiuquan during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, who managed the harem extremely violently, treated his concubines excessively, and even used the punishment of lighting sky lanterns.
Punishment was supposed to punish the offender so that he would not do evil. However, in ancient times, the concept of criminal law was misinterpreted as cruel torture. Today, we have a deep desire that these cruel punishments will no longer be present in our lives.