Caishikou

Caishikou

Caishikou was a famous legal execution ground in Kyoto in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Caishikou is well-known in the capital. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the largest vegetable market in the capital. There were many vegetable stalls and shops along the street, so many people came here to buy vegetables. The most concentrated street in the vegetable market was called "caishijie", which was renamed "Caishikou" in the Qing Dynasty. This name has been used to this day.

history

The main reason for Caishikou's fame is that the Qing government moved the execution place from the West Fourth archway in Ming Dynasty to Caishikou outside Xuanwu Gate. It is said that the execution ground in those years was set near the crossroad on the north side of Caishikou street today. Every winter before the solstice, the prisoners sentenced to "questioning and beheading after autumn" were executed. Before daybreak, the prisoners were pushed into the prison car, passed through Xuanwumen, and walked through xuanwai street to Caishikou. The prisoners were lined up from east to west. The executioners were also lined up with ghost knives. After their heads were cut off, they were hung or inserted on wooden posts in the street for public display. SUSHUN, one of the "eight ministers" in the late Xianfeng Period of the Qing Dynasty (1861), and the "Six Gentlemen" in the reform movement of 1898 in the 24th year of Guangxu period (1898) were killed in Caishikou. Later, "Caishikou" gradually became the pronoun of "execution ground". In 1911, with the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the execution ground was transferred. Later, this area gradually became the most prosperous commercial street and traffic hub of xuanwai street.

There are many vegetable stalls and shops along the street, and the most concentrated corner of the vegetable market is called the vegetable market street. In the Qing Dynasty, it was renamed the vegetable market entrance, which has been used to this day.

When Empress Dowager Cixi launched a palace coup to seize power, SUSHUN, one of the eight government ministers who received emperor Xianfeng's imperial edict, was killed here. After the failure of the reform movement of 1898, Cixi killed Tan Sitong, Liu Guangdi and other people with lofty ideals here. According to the Beiping Travel Guide compiled by Ma Zhixiang, when there are many prisoners executed in Beijing after the autumn court trial, they are arranged from east to west, and the executioners are executed from east to west. There are five ghost knives and ten lingchi corpse knives in the Museum of history. In the old days, prisoners were escorted out of Xuanwumen (shunchengmen), across the guillotine (soul) bridge, through the lost market, and sent to the market koufuchang, where there was no hope of survival. After the prisoner was killed, the body was carried away and the blood was covered with a loess mat.

Red difference

Vegetable market mouth and "red difference"

Beijing has many hutongs and many street entrances. The most famous one is the vegetable market entrance outside Xuanwu Gate. Caishikou is famous because it used to be a place of murder and execution. Many celebrities were beheaded in Caishikou. In the drama, the chant of "pushing out the Meridian Gate to behead" is actually pulling to the entrance of the vegetable market to behead! During the Qing Dynasty, he was sentenced to death by the lobby of the Ministry of punishment. After the examination, he was beheaded in the autumn, which is commonly known as "chuhongcha". Why is it called "red difference"? There are three explanations: first, when the head is cut off, blood is sprayed on the ground and blood is stained with loess; second, the executioner is dressed in thick hemp and red clothes, his head is wrapped in a red turban, and the ghost knife in his arms is covered with a red cloth without scabbard and blade; third, he checks the soul with red pen on the spot, and makes a vicious check on the name of the executed criminal with a red pen, and the rest is "Kazak" Let's hear it.

A great man in modern history, Tan Sitong, one of the Six Gentlemen of the "reform movement of 1898", was cut off from the market. Tan Sitong's death was heroic, brilliant and grand. It is said that Tan Sitong walked to Caishikou with a calm and painless face. In front of the hall of crane year, an official shed was built to supervise the chopping, which was known as the resolute military aircraft minister. Just when Tan Sitong was dying, he suddenly stopped. He was resolute, scornful, but also very serious, indicating that he had a few words to say. Fortitude is Cixi's loyal follower. Seeing this, he hurriedly asks the left and right to take Tan Sitong away, and signals to chop quickly. He has nothing to say with the prisoner. In the panic, he took all the crayons of the desk to the ground. Tan Sitong smiles around and strides to the center of Caishikou.

The "Six Gentlemen of the 1898 movement" who died at the mouth of the vegetable market all died in a noble and upright manner. Yang Rui, who was only 41 years old at the time of his death, still had his eyes wide open when his head fell to the ground. Blood gushed out from his neck. "Blood roared more than Zhang", and later generations commented that "the anger of injustice is still awe inspiring for thousands of years.". When Liu Guangdi was killed, the executioner's hand fell and the blood flowed like a torrent, but his headless body did not fall down. The whole vegetable market was so frightened that they were all burning incense for good luck.

Caishikou execution ground

（2） As a famous execution ground in the capital, Caishikou became a major attraction of the capital at that time.

Every autumn, the criminals sentenced to death are escorted out of prison and out of Xuanwumen to the entrance of the vegetable market. Those who have status sit in the cage cart pulled by mules and horses, while those who have no status are escorted by armed forces to wear shackles and die in the downtown. The executioner will call out: ye! When I wait for you to go, I'll take care of what you eat and what you do. You can rest assured to go. The executioner's hand strength is very accurate, so that his head can be cut off without turning around, so that his family can carry the corpse, sew on the head and bury the whole corpse. If you meet someone who doesn't have a position and doesn't use silver, you can't say a word of politeness.

At that time, there were a lot of shops on both sides of the market. Every time there was a "red difference", both sides of the market were very busy. I do not know why, people are happy to see that extremely cruel scene, with great interest and joy to appreciate the cruel termination of other people's lives.

When the "red break" is posted, the shop will first put up a notice. When the shop is out of the red, shop will be placed at the door with a strip of wine. Three bowls of Baijiu are on it, some are still holding a pot, and the spout is pointing outward. A few bowls of steamed vegetables are also put on the table in a big shop. Prisoners can keep watching, eat or drink, but they can't send people to huangquan without wine or food. Who drinks wine and eats vegetables at the door of his home will be rewarded for his virtue. Red silk should be hung and red couplets pasted in front of the shop, just like a wedding. I have consulted an old man who knows and knows how to deal with the problem. A day: Lord Yan has informed me to write down his merits and virtues in the account book.

That month, Caishikou was well-known, and "chuhongcha" was more popular than singing in the old Beijing Jixiang theater.

A friend evaluation: Caishikou once killed the most people in the early years of Guangxu. More than 70 people were sentenced to death for a big theft of the imperial mausoleum at one time. After autumn, hundreds of soldiers were sent out to supervise the chopping, and seven or eight carriages were used to pull the corpse mat. The chopping officers were riding high headed horses, armed with swords, murderous, escorting officers and soldiers from both sides. The swords came out of the scabbard, the arrows were on the string, and the gongs were on the way Strict. Because of the bandits at the beheading place and fear of robbery, it is said that even the soul wine on both sides of the street is free. The entrance of the vegetable market is not big, and the prisoners line up from east to west according to the rules. As soon as the time arrived, the time announcer broke his voice and announced the time loudly. The beheader held a red pen in his hand and sketched repeatedly. The executioner took his place and beheaded from east to west. Because there were too many prisoners and too few executioners, they were short of breath when they cut. At this time, someone put on a red tray with three white porcelain cups on it, one for water, one for tea and one for wine. It was up to the executioner to drink. According to the friend's textual research, it is generally to first contain a cup of water, water, gargle and spit; then dry the cup of wine, it is also contained in the mouth, sprayed on the ghost blade, let the knife drink; finally, the cup of tea is to drink, and then drag the knife to cut off the head after drinking. It's too cruel for the prisoners who kneel behind and wait for the execution. They have to wait for the executioner to clear his mouth, spray wine, rest his strength and change his knife to see their heads fall to the ground and their blood gush. They have already been scared to death.

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Talk about food market

I found a list of xiheniantang medicine in the book. Xiheniantang drugstore is located in the northwest corner of T-shaped entrance of Caishikou in Beijing. Speaking of Caishikou, it was a famous legal execution ground in Kyoto in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In ancient times, the execution of death penalty, exposing the corpse to the street, is called "abandoning the city", that is, the so-called "punishing people in the city, abandoning them with the public". It's here every autumn. In the Ming Dynasty, Yang Jisheng, Yang Lian, yuan Chonghuan and other loyal officials, and in the Qing Dynasty, Tan Sitong, Lin Xu, Yang Rui, Yang Shenxiu, Liu Guangdi, Kang Guangren and other reformers were killed at the entrance of the vegetable market. In the Qing Dynasty, Xu Chengyao wrote a poem "crossing Caishikou", which depicts the scene of Caishikou execution ground in a vivid way. It is specially recorded here for the readers. Poetry Day: "at dusk, when I pass the western market, I come back alone with tears, but the people in the city are talking and laughing. Who knows that my heart is sad? Where is this place? There are many ancient skulls. The blue blood is deep in the earth, and the fishy smell gives birth to Yi Ju. Sad cloud weeps not to disperse, six strict smell frost flies. There are ten thousand resentment souls in doubt, and they fight with each other to cry. Left lateral placanticline, mauci detached. This is a morgue. There is no skin on the peeling wall. On the right side, the stem is long and hard, and its bottom is red. Micro news prison day, two service prison gallop. The high platform and the thoroughfare make the criminal officer sit majestically. Prisoner to prostrate prostrate, close eyes around. You can't point to a prisoner's neck. You can hold a blade in one battle. It is difficult to know the middle shoulder or the middle skull under the blade. When the prisoner receives the blade, the pain is very silent. Next to them are relatives, or parents and wives. Weeping blood can't replace it, but it will destroy the heart and spleen. "

It is said that xiheniantang drugstore was built in the Ming Dynasty. The plaque with the shop number was written by Yan Song, the prime minister during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. Among them, the character "he" has more strokes than others, and it is difficult to be symmetrical when written together with the other three characters, but its layout is very good, so it has been praised for hundreds of years. There are many articles about it. It is said that everyone who enters Beijing will go there to pay a visit. There is even a legend that one day the execution was carried out at Caishikou. That night, a ghost hit the door of xiheniantang drugstore and wanted to buy medicine for knife injuries. So for a long time, Beijing spread a curse: "go to xihenian hall to ask for the medicine." It means, "you're a man who killed his head."

In the Qing Dynasty, there was no execution ground

Chinese PinYin : Cai Shi Kou