Quote: "The Qing governor-general in Canton, just a hundred miles up the Pearl River from Hong-Kong, led an especially regional effort the crush the [Taiping] sympathizers. ... His agents cast a dragnet across the province in 1854 that ensnared an estimated 75000 accused Taiping supporters. And for those who weren't immediately captured, the government set up suicide stations: pavilions with tools for killing oneself (daggers, ropes), emblazoned with placards calling for supporters of the insurrection to choose a quick self-imposed death over the eventual capture and dismemberment that would bring greater shame to their families."
It cites two European sources, written in 1858 and 1860 respectively. Are they reliable, or simply spewing bullshit to demonize the Qing?
Edit. Sources cited: 12 Years in China by John Scarth, Being "The Times" Special Correspondent from China in the years 1857-8 by George W. Cooke.
I cannot seem to find anything in Chinese to corroborate this, maybe someone else might have better luck. The governor-general in question should be Ye Mingchen (葉名琛), but I can't seem to find anything specific about him setting up suicide stations.
Without putting any of them on the spot perhaps /u/lordtiandao (who specialises in late imperial China), /u/keyilan (who specialises in Chinese language & linguistics) & /u/AsiaExpert (who specialises in China, Korea & Japan) will have a answer to your question. :)
What are the sources it cites?
As an add-on question, regardless of whether or not the suicide booth thing is true, would suicide actually be considered more honorable than execution? It seems like it could go either way.