Lingchi

A prisoner put to death by Lingchi. (10 April 1905)

Lingchi, slow slicing or death by a thousand cuts was a method of execution by dismemberment used primarily in China, but also used in Vietnam and Korea from 900 to 1900. In this method, a knife was used to methodically cut off various portions of the body, eventually resulting in death. Lingchi was reserved for crimes deemed especially heinous such as high treason and the process continued a while after the victim had died.