Bill for the Bullet: Real Thing?

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?

Addition 2009-10-20 12:43:51 -0700 - Forewarned is forearmed: Banhammer falls fast, hard, and once on nonsense, grabass, and ‘nam stories. Cool? Remember I’m that dick who thinks comments are mostly bullshit. Kindly prove me wrong. Thanky.

Addition 2009-10-20 12:50:11 -0700 - Comment from Merlin [because Tumblr dunna wanna let me comment with you guys] - So far, this is SUPER interesting, in that, 1) yeah, we all seem to have heard a version of this story, and b) no, we can’t seem to scare up one of (what must be) thousands of “invoices” that are out there. Anybody got pals at Amnesty Intl. or similar? Pals on the inside in China? Also, many thanks to everyone who’s participating. You make the web good.

49 Notes/ Hide

  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. irreverend 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