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I want to build more things than I do, write more than I do and play music more than I do. All opinions here are my own, unless they are correct, in which case they're likely stolen.
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Bill for the Bullet: Real Thing?

merlin:

A totally serious (if morbid) question. I’ve always heard that, when executing a protester or dissident, the Chinese authorities would send the deceased’s family a “bill for the bullet.”

I guess I’ve also always assumed this was either a colorful myth or at worst, an occasional, over-harsh method of “sending a message” to a key leader’s team. Not that I have any special love or defense for insane Chinese cruelty, but still.

  1. Got a worthwhile citation that shows “billing for the bullet” is or was a standard practice?
  2. Got a photo of what the actual bill looks like?

My first Tumblr question is a serious one; please respond accordingly.

Does or did China send the family of executed prisoners a bill for the bullet that killed them?

I answered this there, and after a bit more research, the only source I see for that is from Timesonline.co.uk (nothing against the British Press, but without primary documentation, I think this is a myth in the same way that people spitting on Vietnam veterans was, which is to say; it may well have happened, but no one has produced any evidence of that (and as it IS China, it seems unlikely that the government will oblige).)

Source: merlin

49 notesShowHide

  1. on-it answered: idk
  2. quietbabylon reblogged this from merlin and added:
    Google translate...http://is.gd/4tFpD seems...hand account...
  3. hidama answered: A rumor I heard while studying Modern China. If so, “billing for the bullet” happened during the Great Leap Forward. Metal was precious.
  4. quietbabylon answered: According to Time Magazine:
  5. mobilhomme answered: Chinese dissident Harry Wu (author of Laogai: The Chinese Gulag) makes reference to the “bullet fee” here: tinyurl.com/yjxvqdu
  6. redcloud reblogged this from merlin and added:
    “Bullet fee” mentioned here: //www.connexions.org/CxLibrary/Docs/CX5051-ExecutionDayinZhengzhou.htm The author
  7. grantbarrett answered: Sorry, the correct URL for billing for Nazi ropes: select.nytimes.com/gst/…
  8. redcloud answered: 1956 Time Magazine Article: time.com/time/pr… — but sounds like hearsay.
  9. rabino answered: That happens in the movie Brazil. ( imdb.com/title/t… )
  10. panamajack answered: From what I understand, this practice hasn’t been done for about 10 years.
  11. jamiek reblogged this from merlin and added:
    there, and after...bit more research, the only source...from...
  12. jamiek answered: Never seen any primary sources for this. I think it’s more of an instructive myth than fact. Now I’m going to research instead of working.
  13. gofargogo answered: I’d always heard this took place in Stalin’s USSR, not China. I”ll see if I can find a proper cite.
  14. samlroth reblogged this from merlin
  15. kimlisagor answered: Plenty of references to this in mainstream publications, but no primary sources or photos. My guess: urban myth.
  16. rokku answered: Time Online (UK) mentions this here: bit.ly/3MQnyf Also bit.ly/jdQR7 Alas, that’s all I could find except a Dvorak post. @rokku
  17. steampoweredmedia answered: Yes: timesonline.co.uk/tol/n…
  18. abbyjean answered: i’ve read of it in the context of organ harvesting. here’s a cite to an Asia Watch investigation: tinyurl.com/yg97xad
  19. monimus answered: I mean, if it had the prisoner’s name on it, sure. Engravings cost money. I don’t think they overcharged, though, children work for pennies.
  20. merlin posted this
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