Cannibalism in Chinese history

"Descriptions of cannibalism appear repeatedly in Chinese history, in numerous historical writings and literature, and most recently during the Cultural Revolution in the shocking testimony of Cheng I (鄭羲）, Chinese film producer and writer who fleed to Hong Kong in the spring of 1992 and sought asylum in the USA in 1993.

Cheng I published Shokujin Enseki - Massatsu sareta Chugoku Gendaishi (meaning Cannibal Banquet - Modern Chinese History Erased), in 1993, from Kodansha's Kappa Books series in Tokyo. In this shocking and gruesome book, he describes in detail as a former Red Guard, how, during the height of the Cultural Revolution in south China, hundreds of children, women and men deemed enemies of the Revolution were killed and actually eaten by the perpetrators, with such comments as human meat apparently tastes better when broiled than boiled."　　（one recent source cited by Prof. Nakamura when asked to comment on passage on "brutality" in his essay, The Nanking Incident as I See It)

In the recently published collection of studies Chugoku Igaishi, historian Okada Hidehiro (see footnote) quotes passages from well-known Ming dynasty (1368-1644) novel Water Margin, also known as All Men Are Created Equal , which describes a group of villains who sell human meat as beef, as well as other characters who eat human flesh.

According to Okada, King Chu (紂) of the Ying (殷)　dynasty in 11th century BC is alleged to have made salted meat and dried meat out of two feudal lords, as well as soup out of son of King Wen ( 文) of Zhou (周), and made King Wen eat it.

Okada points out that it was Lu Xun (1881-1936), considered the greatest modern Chinese writer , who first pointed out and condemned the practice of cannibalism which persisted throughout 4000 years of Chinese history, in Diary of a Madman (1918).

During times of severe famine, cannibalism apparently became marked.

In 594BC, it is recorded ("春秋左氏伝") that in the walled city of Song (宋) , when surrounded by the Chu (楚) army, people ate each other's children and the dead.

In the 9the century,towards the end of the Tang dynasty (618-906) a Persian trader　reported that human flesh was being sold openly in markets.

During the 12th century, it was said that 15 kin (1 kin = 1.323lbs) of dried meat was obtained from one human being.

Towards the turbulent close of Yuan dynasty (1276-1368), it was said that children's meat was best, then women's, and the least were men's.

Cannibalism was practiced not merely for sheer survival, but also as a means of revenge. Lu Xun cites such a case occurring in 1907, in which a revolutionary (徐錫麟）　was killed and his heart eaten by an enemy, in one of his writings. ("范愛農"）　

The Chinese also believed medicinal benefits could be obtained from eating human flesh, and the benefits are described in their 16th century medicinal book Bencao Ganmu ("本草綱目") .

Footnote:

Above passages from Okada Hidehiro's Chugoku Igaishi (Tokyo: Shinshokan, 1997) 130-143. The title translates, "surprising histories of China"