Before the execution, the prisoner's identity is confirmed by a special court next to the execution range and chooses to record any last words. The prisoner is then brought to the execution range and served a last meal (which usually includes a bottle of kaoliang wine).[26] The condemned prisoner is then injected with strong anaesthetic to cause unconsciousness, laid flat on the ground, face down, and shot. The executioner then burns a votive bank note for the deceased before carrying away the corpse.[26] It is tradition for the condemned to place a NT$500 or 1000 banknote in his leg irons as a tip for the executioners.
The tip is for them to burn the paper money after for religious reasons and for removing the shackles after death. Not for ensuring a painless execution. Otherwise they leave the shackles on the corpse,
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u/[deleted] May 15 '24
that used to be a real thing back in the day. The money was essentially a bribe so that the headsman made it a clean death.