In ancient China, there was a form of execution called腰斬; 腰斩 (yāo zhǎn) . His name implies a person literally cut in half at the waist. It was reserved for only the most dangerous criminals, as many people did not die immediately after being cut down.
In the Qing dynasty, an official was caught embezzling money and was sentenced to have his waist cut. However, he stayed alive long enough to write, using his blood, the Chinese character '慘' (horrible/brutal) 7 times before finally dying.
Hearing this story, the Yongzheng Emperor was shocked and abolished this form of execution.
