In Chinese history, beheading was an ancient and widely used form of execution, full of rituals. For this cruel punishment, a foreign missionary who penetrated deep into the Chinese mainland, Gilbert?Wales, offers a unique insight.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, with the opening of ports and the intervention of Western powers, China ended its centuries-long policy of seclusion and attracted many missionaries, including Wales. He has lived in China for 38 years and has an in-depth understanding of the local customs.
One of Wales' most memorable moments was a beheading incident he witnessed in Guangzhou. In his book "Subjects Under the Dragon's Flag", he described the beheading scene as:"A feast for the eyes"This is not his personal feeling, but the impression given to him by the audience.
A large number of people gathered at the beheading site, and the scene was very lively, like a grand performance in the downtown area. This sparked curiosity in Wales, who tried to understand why the audience was so excited about the bloody scene.
In the description of Wales, people flock to the scene and the scene is spectacular. Even as the soldiers tried to disperse the crowd, the people could not contain their excitement. This pomp and circumstance was taken by Wales as follows"Joyful party"to describe it satirically, revealing behind the excitement in people's hearts.
The beheading scene is located at the entrance of the vegetable market, which is dense, and onlookers occupy the perimeter of the execution ground early. It was written on the door"Miscellaneous people are not allowed to enter", guarded by soldiers, but those who are willing to pay a ** fee can get a green channel.
The beheading process is divided into two parts: first, the prisoners are escorted into the venue, which triggers the shouting of the crowd and the throwing of objects. The second part is the beheading process, which is performed by amateurs, and each beheading elicits cheers from the audience. Wales depicts spectators experiencing the excitement of a basketball game, with each head chopping accompanied by a cheer.
Wales was puzzled by the excitement. At the end of the article, he left a reflection on the beheading incident, expressing doubts about the audience's insensitive attitude, and using this to deny the progress of Chinese civilization.
However, Wales did not have a deep understanding of the social considerations of the time. In the late Qing Dynasty, there was social turmoil, the gap between the rich and the poor was huge, and the people lived in poverty. Under such pressure, people may show a numb attitude towards beheading, which is not a regression of civilization, but a result of social circumstances.
From a psychological point of view, the preference for stimuli is related to the individual's stress level. In the late Qing Dynasty, social pressure was huge, and people may have relieved the pressure by cutting off their heads and other bloody scenes. This phenomenon is not unique to China, but also exists abroad.
Wales' understanding of late Qing society may not be comprehensive, and his rejection of Chinese civilization is too one-sided. The excitement at the beheading scene reflects the predicament of society and the numbness of people's hearts. This period of history, although bloody, provides us with a window into the social psychology of the late Qing Dynasty.
In this essay, we are guided deep into Chinese society in the late Qing Dynasty, through the foreign missionary Gilbert?Wales's personal experience provides a glimpse into the deeper reasons behind the excitement of the beheading punishment at that time. During this period, Chinese society faced various pressures, such as social unrest, the wide gap between the rich and the poor, and the hardship of people's livelihood, which may have become the root cause of people's numbness to cruel punishment.
First of all, the article takes the beheading as the starting point, and vividly depicts the excitement and fanaticism of the people at that time for the beheading scene from the perspective of the missionary. The cheers of the people in this scene make us feel an incomprehensible paradox: in the bloody and cruel execution scene, people actually show a kind of fanaticism and excitement. Through the description of images, the article successfully stimulates the reader's curiosity about the social psychology of this period.
Second, Wales's observations provoke us to think about the social pressures of the late Qing Dynasty. The article points out that social turmoil, the widening gap between the rich and the poor, and bureaucratic corruption have created tremendous psychological pressure among the people. The greater this pressure, the stronger the desire for something stimulating. From a psychological point of view, people may seek a kind of release through bloody scenes such as beheading, in order to relieve inner anxiety and restlessness.
In addition, the article questioned Wales' rejection of Chinese civilization. Wales criticized Chinese civilization through the beheading incident, believing that it reflected the regression of social civilization. However, the article points out that this view is too one-sided. The social turmoil and hardship in the late Qing Dynasty were caused by the social system and historical environment, not the problem of civilization itself. Under the pressure of life, people's numbness and apathy may be a way to cope, rather than a regression of civilization.
Finally, the article also mentions that the audience's excitement about the beheading scene may be related to physiological reactions. When the body is confronted with a stimulus, adrenaline rises, creating a sense of euphoria. This physiological response may explain why the audience is so agitated in the gore. This is not limited to Chinese society, but also exists in other countries, further indicating that this is not a problem unique to Chinese civilization.
Overall, this essay successfully outlines the multiple pressures and complex psychology of people in the late Qing Dynasty through specific historical descriptions and profound analysis. It guides readers to think deeply about the relationship between the social environment and individual behavior, and calls on us to be more comprehensive and objective in evaluating history, and to examine the evolution of civilization in an impartial manner.
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