The Terrifying Truth About the Punishment of Eating Two Bowls of Noodles.
During the feudal era, numerous torture methods were employed primarily to extract confessions. One notable example is the Ten Major Tortures practiced during the Qing Dynasty. Specifically, these ten forms of torture were deemed the harshest and most brutal punishments. Among them were methods such as skin peeling, dismemberment by five horses, slow slicing (lingchi), and waist chopping,…
The commonality among these punishments was their ability to make the condemned wish for death rather than endure the suffering. Consequently, many prisoners became exceedingly fearful upon hearing about these torture methods, with some confessing their guilt immediately.
Beheading was sometimes considered a far lighter punishment compared to these tortures, especially slow slicing. This particular punishment was executed in such a horrifying manner that the inmates often preferred death to the immense pain.
Many brutal forms of torture made prisoners wish they were dead.
For instance, Kang Xiaobao, the last person to be executed by slow slicing in Chinese history, serves as a testament. Kang was a notorious bandit terrorizing the Beijing-Tianjin area. Not only did he rob the imperial treasury, but he also spoke arrogantly. After being captured and interrogated, he even demanded to “humiliate” Empress Dowager Cixi.
This news quickly reached Empress Dowager Cixi, who immediately ordered Kang Xiaobao to be executed by slow slicing until death, notably without any limitation on the number of cuts.
Under Qing law, the maximum number of cuts for slow slicing was typically 3,600. However, in 1905, Kang Xiaobao was subjected to 3,784 cuts before he died.
How Terrifying is the Punishment of Eating Two Bowls of Noodles?
This punishment requires the prisoner to eat two bowls of noodles.
In addition to the aforementioned ten major tortures, historical records also mention a particularly terrifying form of torture known as “Er Long Tu Tu” – “Spitting Out Dragon Whiskers.” This punishment specifically required the prisoner to eat two bowls of noodles.
At first glance, this may seem like a simple and gentle punishment, but the actual process and outcome are far from it.
Initially, the prisoner would not be beaten but would be denied food. Instead, they would be allowed to drink only a small amount of water to sustain some semblance of life. After being starved for at least 2 to 3 days, the prisoner’s body would be in a state of collapse, unable to withstand the hunger, and their mind would be in a daze.
At this moment, the jailer would bring out two steaming bowls of delicious noodles. The prisoner, now released, would rush towards the two bowls and devour them hungrily due to their extreme hunger. However, these noodles would not be fully cooked, making them difficult to digest and uncomfortable for the stomach, especially for someone who had been starved for several days.
The prisoner is hung upside down while eating noodles, causing them to choke.
While the prisoner was eating the two bowls of noodles, the jailer would hang them upside down in the frame, tying their hands and feet and positioning them vertically. Soon, the prisoner’s face would swell and turn purple, their stomach would be in distress, and the noodles in their stomach would quickly find their way out through their nose or mouth.
With this punishment, even if the noodle strands that the prisoner consumed were fortunate enough to be digested in the stomach, they could still choke in the nasal cavity. This made the prisoner extremely uncomfortable, feeling suffocated, and their face would turn purple. Since the noodles often came out through the nose, this form of torture was referred to as “Er Long Tu Tu” – “Spitting Out Dragon Whiskers.”
Being hung upside down after eating the noodles caused the prisoner to choke and struggle to breathe, leading them to wish for death to end their suffering. Consequently, very few people survived this form of torture.
