Punishment of the Cangue

The Costume of China. Illustrated in forty-eight c Author: Alexander, William / William Miller: London, 1805 Language: English Source/Shelfmark: 455.e.9, plate 10 The description in the book states that a Tcha (known to Europeans as a Cangue) is a heavy tablet or collar of wood, worn as a punishment, the weight and duration worn, depending on the magnitude of the crime. The prisoner is being led on a chain, by a magistrates assistant, to a gate of a city or any place frequented by the populace, where he is exposed for the day to derision. When he is released he is beaten with a bamboo stick. Image taken from The Costume of China. Illustrated in forty-eight coloured engravings. Originally published/produced in William Miller: London, 1805.