What were the specifics of the Ancient Chinese practice of cipei, criminal tattooing?

by Hellenas

I've been reading into many things from the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period of China and read into the life of Sun Bin, the famous military strategist. Only in passing was it mentioned that he had been subject to cipei by the state of Wei for treason and had his kneecaps removed, and this left me with a decent bit of curiosity.

  • Were there different tattoos for different crimes?
  • How did this practice or their design differ by state?
  • Do we have any idea of how they looked?
  • Upon exile, would the people in other Chinese states hold the person in disdain for the crime which marked their face? Did this distaste go above the normal disdain of tattoos typical in China?
  • Are there any cases of non-Chinese being subject to this? Was this towards any of the minority groups who already tattoo their own faces voluntarily?

I'm open to any other specifics that can be brought up too.

Thanks

puxxyjungle

1.Records in later dynasty shows different tattoos for different crime, so I think so.

2.I don't think there was any reasons for using the same design. but it's possible. some history records reveal that during this period, the method is pretty crude, just cut it open, cover the wound with graphite

3.I didn't find much about it, only the method( chisel or knife)

4.墨罚之属千(there are thousands of crimes that could be sentenced to tattoo in Spring and Autumn period), yes, they would hold the person in disdain, it might related to Confucius' saying 身体发肤，受之父母，何敢有损(hair, skin, and body, come from our parents, how dare to damage), but when the punishment of even the smallest crime is carving on your face, I don't think many people care.

5.by Chinese, I think you means Han Chinese? under the rule of central government, there isn't much awareness the difference among different ethnic groups. if you means foreigner, I didn't find anything.

I don't have much about Spring and Autumn Period, below is something that relate to the criminal tattooing

Mo Xing(墨刑 ink punishment) and 黥面(don't know how to pronounce the first word, the last one is face) was ancient Chinese punishment, only abolished in late Qing dynasty, and used for various crime. it served as criminal record, criminal identity(especially when the person was punished to slave,coolie or army, in case of deserting). there wasn't a standard of method or what and how to cut throughout the history, sometimes even changed in the same dynasty. before Song dynasty,the criminal tattooing was mo xing（墨刑）, using knives, chisel or saw to cut, after Song (including Song) replaced by 黥面, using needle.

records show in Jin Dynasty if the slave( or servants) run away, when they are captured, some may be tattooed with run-away slave(逃走奴), once on the forehead, twice on the cheeks, the third time below the eyes, the cut is deep(with saw and knives) to the bone.

In the Song dynasty, robbers was tattooed with robber(劫). soldiers were tattooed too, in case of deserting. people who were exiled to the army usually crave a square on the cheek or forehead, theft behind the ears. sentenced to be flogged, circle not on the face, had been flogged three times, circle on the face.

In Ming dynasty, there was also a three-strike rule, tattooed theft three times, you would be beheaded.

Mo Xing didn't limit to face. arm,neck and other places can be used to tattoo.