A MAN IN A CANGUE IN SHANGHAI, PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN THOMSON C. 1870

 MAN IN A CANGUE IN SHANGHAI, PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOHN THOMSON C. 1870

A man in a cangue in Shanghai, photographed by John Thomson c. 1870

A man in a cangue in Shanghai, photographed by John Thomson c. 1870. The label reads "上海縣正堂，封" meaning "Sealed by the Shanghai County Magistrate". The offender had to rely on passersby for food.

This is a pillory as it was used in China in the 19th century. It saved costs for prisons and was quite effective. The man in the picture can't reach his face with his hands so he can't eat. He's in public and he's depending on people to take pity on him and feed and water him like a dog.

Charitable Chinese man feeding a criminal in a cangue. Petty criminals were sentenced to wear Charitable Chinese man feeding a criminal in a cangue. Petty criminals were sentenced to wear the canque, often for a couple of months, and display themselves in public places. At best they were humbled by dependence on others to be fed, at worst, they might starve to death. The sign on the cangue describes the man's crime. Ca. 1905

A cangue (/kæŋ/) or tcha is a device that was used for public humiliation and corporal punishment in East Asia and some other parts of Southeast Asia until the early years of the twentieth century. It was also occasionally used for or during torture. Because it restricted a person's movements, it was common for people wearing cangues to starve to death as they were unable to feed themselves. The word "cangue" is French, from the Portuguese "canga," which means yoke, the carrying tool has also been used to the same effect, with the hands tied to each arm of the yoke. Frequently translated as pillory, it was similar to that European punishment except that the movement of the prisoner's hands was not as rigorously restricted and that the board of the cangue was not fixed to a base and had to be carried around by the prisoner.

At times, the cangue was used as a general means of restraining prisoners along with manacles and leg chains; this was true particularly of those with grave sentences or low social standing. Historically cangues were used in rituals of penance in Chinese folk religion. These cangues either resembled the traditional wooden ones or were made out of three swords tied together or paper. Similar to its use as a torture and public humiliation device the penitant writes their sins on the board and parades themselves through the city until coming to the temple (generally a temple to the City God) and having their sins absolved.

Often the cangue was then burned, especially if made of paper. The selling of ritual cangues was a major source of income for Chinese temples and continues to be one in Taiwan. The selling of fake ritual cangue by commoners was criminalized during the Qing dynasty.