Self-injury in direct appealing in ancient China took the forms of shaving off one's own hairs,inj uring one’s ears,tattooing one’s own face,driving nails into one's own hands,etc.The purpose of self-injury in direct appeal was,on the one hand,to express the determination to carry the lawsuit to the end,which was a result of the various drawbacks of the direct appealing system,and,on the other hand,to show the willingness to accept punishment,which reflected the people’s ideology at that time.Self-injury in direct appealing was most widespread in the Tang and Song dynasties,but the practice had been gradually changed during the Ming and Qing dynasties due to the strict prohibition by the government over a long period of time. |