Traditional culture of whipping

Before the meeting, the eunuch stood in front of the palace and whipped. Why are there such wonderful regulations in Ming and Qing Dynasties?

Before every meeting in the Qing Dynasty, eunuchs threw whips three times in the square in front of the main hall, called net whips, also called static whips and police whips.

The net whip is one of the rituals of ancient emperors, which warned people to keep quiet by making noise. It means that the emperor will appear soon, and everyone should be quiet. The net whip is not unique to the Qing Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, it was recorded that "there was the sound of whipping in the Tang and Five Dynasties", indicating that this ceremony existed before the Tang or Five Dynasties.

According to the Records of Sixty-three Rites and Seven Records in the Draft of Qing Dynasty, there were detailed regulations on the flogging ceremony in Qing Dynasty. For example, every time there was a "flogging" at the "Chaohui", the emperor came out of the Zhonghe Hall and went to the Taiji Hall (Golden Hall) and flogged three times; At the end of the ceremony, the whip rang three times, and the emperor returned to the palace by bus.

From the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Southern Song Dynasty, before the court meeting, a dozen guards were arranged to whip outside the court hall, demanding that their voices be consistent and loud. These guards will be punished if the whip is uneven or silent. It's hard for these guards, who practice hard day and night just to practice flogging.

There have been many changes in the number of guards whipped. During the Song Xiaozong period, the number of people flogging reached 14, all of whom were court guards. After the yuan dynasty, the number of people decreased, and they fought three times at a time. During the reign of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty, the eunuch was unified and beaten three times at a time. This is what people often see in film and television dramas.

In fact, this is what emperors are imposing on themselves! Think about it. Whips hurt people. Nobody wants to be whipped. Just like cattle and sheep, when they see the whip in the hands of herders, they will listen to their commands honestly. Similarly, the whip contains the control power of the emperor. The whip is a symbol of power and represents the supreme imperial power. So as soon as the whip sounded, the ministers knew that the emperor was coming and wanted to arrange work for them. When the whip rings again, ministers will know that the emperor is gone, and they can go about their business and finally go home for tea and dinner.

Therefore, the emperor rules the people like a shepherd controls cattle and sheep, and the word "Yu" is homophonic with the word "Yu". Everything the emperor gave to the people was called "imperial ceremony", the cup he used was called "imperial cup", the seat he sat in was called "throne", the pen he used was called "imperial pen", and even the emperor led troops to fight was called "personal expedition".

Therefore, this whip is actually a symbol of imperial power!

But being able to fight is a physical and technical activity, and some people have to practice for it all their lives. Flogging was the work of the Royal Guards in the Ming Dynasty, and it was gradually taken care of by eunuchs in the Qing Dynasty. The eunuch in charge of flogging in Qing Dynasty was definitely an expert in flogging. Whenever they go to court, they will try their best to suck milk and whip as loudly as possible to satisfy the emperor. Fortunately, flogging has now become a popular form of exercise. As long as you like, you don't have to look at other people's faces to whip.