In 1911, on the streets of Beijing, a group photo of a foreigner and a few beggars, the foreigner in the lens is dressed in a suit and leather shoes, his leather shoes are shiny, his dress is fashionable and decent, even if this photo is put to this day, his clothes will not look outdated. The beggars who took a picture with him were a different story. They were ragged and tattered. One of the elderly beggars, his face carved with the marks of time, revealed an unspeakable pain in his eyes. What is even more worrying is that one of the young beggars did not even wear pants.
Even though they stood close, it felt like they were in two worlds. On one side is the prosperity of modernization, but on the other side is the abyss of poverty. This strong contrast makes people think about the social problems of that era.
At that time, China was at the turn of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, with social turmoil and the lives of the people at the bottom becoming increasingly difficult. Years of war and natural disasters have displaced many people, and many have become beggars if they are not careful. As a result, the number of beggars is huge, and they wander around and live a precarious life.
In 1900, on the streets of Qingdao, the Chinese recruited by the German army patrolled and arrested, leaving an old photo, in the lens, he was tall, and at a glance he knew that he was a standard Shandong man. He wore leggings and belts, and looked particularly energetic. The square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes give people a sense of majesty and firmness.
If you look closely at his long braids, it is very conspicuous, people at that time did not use shampoo or conditioner, but his hair was surprisingly black and dense, which made people wonder how to maintain it, or his own genetic factors that made his hair so healthy.
What many people don't know is that in the early days of the German occupation of Qingdao, in order to maintain order in the city, the German army personally went into battle to enforce public order matters. But as time passed, in order to reduce costs and reduce the burden on the army, the German authorities decided to hire patrols from the local area to assist in management, so the Shandong man became one of them.
In 1900, when a prisoner was executed in the street, he left behind an old photograph of the executioner, expressionlessly holding up the broadsword. His eyes were indifferent, as if he was Xi to this bloody scene. The prisoner was on his knees with his hands tied behind his back, his head bowed, and his face was helpless. His eyes revealed an attitude of resignation, maybe at this moment, resistance was futile, so he could only choose to bow his head and accept the arrangement of fate.
This photo is reminiscent of one of the tortures of the Qing Dynasty - beheading. This kind of brutal torture can bring the prisoner's head to the ground in an instant. Whenever such a scene occurs, the onlookers are terrified, but the executioner is able to carry out his task without changing his face.
However, despite such a strong psychological quality of the executioners, in life they are the objects that everyone avoids. Because everyone felt that the executioner had an ominous aura, and no woman would want to marry such a man with blood on his hands. So in life, the executioner didn't even have a friend.
Finally, in 1905, the Qing Dynasty announced the abolition of the torture of beheading. The arrival of this moment marks a big step forward for human civilization. Although this brutal torture has been banned, that old photograph forever records the cruelty of that era.