Ranking of the Nine Cruel Prohibited Dishes in China

China's Nine Most Cruel Dishes
Ninth Place: Drunken Shrimp Drunken Shrimp: As the name suggests, live shrimp are placed in alcohol, and soon the shrimp become intoxicated to the point of death (or rather, they are drunk). Diners can enjoy the fresh flavor of the shrimp while also savoring the aroma of the alcohol, achieving two benefits at once. Isn't it wonderful? \Commentary: Drinking is my favorite, but I really worry that one day, when I'm completely drunk, someone might serve me like a shrimp in a cup. Drinkers should be cautious.\Cruelty Level: ★★☆☆☆
Eighth Place: Air-Dried Chicken Air-Dried Chicken: Preparing this dish requires skill and speed must be very fast. This is a Tibetan dish. The master plucks feathers, removes the innards, stuffs seasonings into the chicken's belly, sews it up, and hangs it in a ventilated place (without bleeding it to death). The chicken must still be alive at this time, then it will "coo" continuously like a wind chime in the wind and snow, which is a spectacular sight. \Commentary: In Gu Long's novels, the opponent of Xi Men Chui Xue often realizes after a move that there is a hole in their chest bleeding before they understand they've been hit. I think it's similar for this chicken: after the master's handling, it looks down to find its feathers gone and innards replaced, finally realizing, it's over, I've been affected. What's frightening is that it isn't dead.\Cruelty Level: ★★★☆☆
Seventh Place: Dragon Whisker Chicken Foot Dragon Whisker Chicken Foot: A very sophisticated dish. 'Dragon whisker' refers to the whiskers of a live carp, 'chicken foot' refers to a piece of tender meat from the center of a live chicken's foot. Specific cooking methods are unclear. \Commentary: When eating this dish, there must be a group of two-legged lame chickens in the backyard and a group of flavorless carp in the pond. How pitiful for all living beings.\Cruelty Level: ★★★☆☆
Sixth Place: Live Scream Donkey Live Scream Donkey: Have you ever eaten fresh donkey meat? Even the freshest donkey meat comes from a recently killed donkey, right? The Live Scream Donkey is different; the donkey doesn't need to be killed—the meat is carved directly from its living body. Listening to the donkey scream in the backyard while diners in the front hall keep eating parts of it as if nothing is happening is a complete sensory experience in color, aroma, taste, and sound. \Commentary: I remember in the Classic of Mountains and Seas there is something called 'Xi Rou' that can resurrect after eating its flesh. In Chinese legend, there is also the 'An Xi Cow', which can be cut and eaten and naturally recovers in a few days. But donkeys don't have this ability, do they? This cruel way of eating reminds me of the most cruel punishment in Chinese history: slow slicing (lingchi).\Cruelty Level: ★★★☆☆

Fifth Place: Roasted Duck Feet
Roasted Duck Feet: Live ducks are placed on a slightly warm iron plate, and the plate coated with seasoning is heated. The live ducks, feeling the heat, will walk around on the plate and eventually start jumping. In the end, the duck feet are cooked, but the duck is still alive. The feet are cut off, plated, and served, while the duck is used for other purposes.
Commentary: In "Investiture of the Gods," it seems the method of 'cannon roasting' is mentioned, gradually making the palms smell burnt, with King Zhou laughing heartily.
Cruelty Level: ★★★★☆
Fourth Place: Iron Plate Soft-Shelled Turtle
Iron Plate Soft-Shelled Turtle: A live soft-shelled turtle is placed in cold soup with seasonings and simmered over low heat. The turtle is alive, and as the water gradually heats up, it drinks the soup due to the heat, naturally absorbing the flavors. As the fire heats more, watching the turtle writhe in agony excites the one holding the chopsticks. By the time the turtle is cooked, the external soup and the soup the turtle has drunk infuse its meat with flavor, said to be incredibly delicious.
Commentary: The brilliance lies in slow simmering, never killing it outright, allowing the viewer to enjoy the process of slow torment. It's akin to how the Japanese devised myriad methods to slaughter the Chinese, making them die as slowly as possible.
Cruelty Level: ★★★★☆
Third Place: Pouring Donkey Meat
Pouring Donkey Meat: This dish also targets the donkey. The live donkey is restrained beside boiling old broth. When the diner decides which part they want, the chef peels off that section of skin, exposing the fresh meat. Boiling broth is then poured over the meat with a wooden spoon until it's cooked, then cut off, plated, and served.
Commentary: It is said that most who eat this dish do not do so for the food itself, but purely to watch how the donkey reacts and looks.
Cruelty Level: ★★★★☆
Second Place: Three Squeaks
Three Squeaks: A plate of newborn mice (alive) and a plate of seasoning. The diner picks up a live mouse with chopsticks; the mouse gives its first 'squeak.' When dipped in seasoning, the mouse gives its second 'squeak.' Finally, when placed in the diner's mouth, it gives the last squeak (three squeaks in total). The recipe is simple, but the diner needs boundless gluttonous drive and immense courage to try this dish.
Commentary: The ones who eat baby mice are not the scary ones; the ones who invented this dish and gave it such a horrifying name are.Three. Zhi'er, summarizing the cruel process of consuming living beings so vividly, it is hard not to call it sorrowful.
Cruelty level: ★★★★☆
First place: Monkey Head

Monkey Head: The 'monkey head' mentioned here is by no means the edible fungus 'monkey head mushroom,' but truly a monkey's brain. A square table with a hole in the center, several people sit around it, and the hole is not as large as for hot pot or spicy hot soup, just enough for a monkey's head to protrude. A very cute monkey is led out; it is said to be a monkey specifically raised for eating, with a relatively large head. The monkey's head tops protrude through the small hole, secured with a metal band, fastened very tightly. With a light tap of a small hammer, the skull collapses, exposing the brain completely to the diners. At this time, the more gluttonous ones use a spoon to scoop the red-and-white monkey brain. As the monkey beneath the table lets out a death cry, the gruesome scene of eating raw monkey brain begins.

Comment: Writing up to this point, my hands are trembling, it is hard to imagine how those people could actually eat it. Think of the monkey's miserable state under the table, imagine if a human were to be similarly opened alive, how horrifying it would be.
Cruelty level: ★★★★★