The penal system in ancient China has always been very harsh, and a series of punishments were often used for offenders, the most common of which was hard labor. The production mode of the small peasant society in ancient China made the imperial autocracy require a large amount of labor to build mausoleums, city walls, etc.
As a result, criminals are often seen as a useful labour force that is forced to participate in various forms of servitude and thus indirectly contribute to the state. This article will analyze the ancient Chinese labor system from a historical perspective, and explain its background, significance and influence.
First of all, the emergence and background of the labor system was determined by the small peasant economy and the autocratic nature of imperial power in ancient China. The smallholder economy is a family-based self-cultivation economy, but the smallholder economy cannot meet social needs, so it will lead to the idle of some labor.
The ancient Chinese imperial autocracy required a large number of labor to serve the imperial family, build mausoleums, city walls, etc., which led to criminals being regarded as a useful labor force and forced to participate in various forms of labor.
Second, the system of forced labour is both a punishment for prisoners and a way to exert the value of their labor. In ancient times, crime was an unforgivable transinence, and as a result, prisoners were often punished extremely harshly.
For example, before men in the Qin Dynasty could accept the labor of Chengdan, they needed to shave their hair, which was a great disrespect for the ancients, and criminals would be punished for it. During the reign of Emperor Wudi of Han, the deposition of the hundred schools and the exclusive respect of Confucianism gradually dominated society, and Confucianism attached importance to filial piety, so the way prisoners performed labor gradually changed.
The punishment of female offenders is a light form of servitude, mainly composed of rice and firewood, which is more suitable for weak labor, which can not only punish criminals, but also exert the value of their labor.
In the punishment method of white gluten, the offender needs to have better eyesight, and pick out six buckets of fine rice out of ten bucket meters, which is a high degree of fineness, but the physical loss is much smaller, so it is more suitable for those female criminals with weak physical strength.
Finally, the implementation of the system of servitude has had a certain social impact. On the one hand, the system of forced labor makes criminals a useful labor force, who is forced to participate in various labor activities, thereby reducing the waste of social resources and contributing to the country.
On the other hand, the labor system also gives people a new understanding and experience of the penal system, and people no longer use bloody and tragic public displays often only to make the fangs jackals more powerful, but by exerting the value of the prisoner's labor force to make some contribution to society, which also indirectly improves the situation of the prisoner.
At the same time, the labor system also allows people to see another aspect of prisoners, they are no longer criminals with only ugly behavior, but can save their reputation and status through labor, which also promotes social righteousness to a certain extent.
In short, the labor system in ancient China was an important form of punishment, and its emergence and implementation were inextricably linked to the small-scale peasant economy and imperial autocracy. The system of servitude is not only a punishment, but also a way to use the value of the criminal's labor force.
The implementation of the labor system has had a certain impact on both criminals and society, criminals are no longer completely banished by society, they can redeem their reputation and identity through labor, which also provides a glimmer of hope for those who unfortunately embark on the road of crime.
The abolition of the labor system also heralded earth-shaking changes in the penal system, and people gradually became more tolerant in their thinking, and gradually made punishment more rational and humane in practice.