Once upon a time in China

Have you ever seen an ancient court room of old China? If you go to Shansi (山西), there is a county called Pingyao (平遥) where an ancient court room (县衙) is preserved. There is even a live show of the court proceedings for the tourists who visit the Pingyao Court.

I had the opportunity to witness how the Judge (Magistrate) handled a case. The accused was brought in together with the plantiff. The evidence was produced and the Judge was convinced without any doubt that the accused was guilty as judged. He then pronounced judgement to the accused and the case was resolved with loud applause from the crowd.

However, as we all know, history will tell us that in old days the Judge was usually corrupt and the accused was always set free and the plantiff became guilty and punished instead. This is why money can do wonders in those days. There was even a saying that spreaded among the public. The doors of the court room are wide open, if you have the truth/evidence but no money/cash you better don't come in. This shows how corrupt the officials in those days can be. Money speaks louder than words.
                

      县衙大门八字开, 有理无钱莫进来 .

                                        
Pingyao Court with sign showing
Mirror of Justice Hanging Above.
More often than not, there was no justice in the ancient court for the common folks.



Inside the Court Room, you will see the a table and chair for the Judge.

There is a big picture behind that shows a huge sun rising above the sea.

The Judge always used a wooden thing to hit on the bench to threaten the accused or to ask the people to keep quiet. His duty is also to keep the court house in order.





The accused was brought in and knelt
in front of the Judge. The plaintiff also
knelt behind him.

Usually the Judge would have the accused beaten so as to get the truth out of him. In most cases, the accused was beaten repeatedly until he confessed. Of course, if you are rich, you can always get the verdict in your favour. In this case, both the judge and the accused would adjourn to a room behind to reach for an agreement/settlement.




Finally, the Judge was satisfied with this arrangement with the accused and knew what to do with the verdict.

He then read out the verdict, usually ignoring the loud noise of complaint from the innocent party or the public.

The condemned person was then brought back to the prison, awaiting his final punishment.

It is scary, isn't it. If you are poor you will always be judged guilty and punished. That was life then.

Fortunately, this was ancient time in China. In this 21st century, even if you are poor, the State will make sure that you will get a good lawyer to defend you. You need not worry about the fees as the State will take care of that.

I composed a poem while travelling in Shansi, it goes like this:

       国庆过后游山西

       平遥古城寻古迹

       古县衙内诉冤情

       乔家大院看三稀