The execution ground in Qing Dynasty was generally located at Caishikou outside Xuanwu Gate in Beijing. The prisoner was taken out from the west gate of the prison of the Ministry of Justice, detoured into Xijiaomin Lane, passed Xuanwu Gate, and then went to Caishikou execution ground.

The specific location of Caishikou execution ground starts from the south exit of the iron gate in the east and ends at the north exit of Prime Minister Hutong (now Caishikou Hutong) in the west.

The execution of death penalty criminals in Qing dynasty was carried out before the winter solstice every year, so the day before the execution, which was called "autumn sentence" and commonly known as "big difference", the jailer said to the prisoner, "So-and-so, you are overjoyed, and the lawsuit is over today!" "The prisoner knew he was dying. That night, the prisoners were guarded by prison guards armed with weapons, and a special person washed his face and combed his hair, and prepared a sumptuous dinner for the prisoners, which was called "Ciyang Rice".

Early the next morning, the prisoner was taken out of the prison, tied up with ropes, put up with signs, named, loaded into a prison van and drove to the street for public display. Where the prison car passes, prisoners can ask for snacks, dining tables and even cloth from shops along the street by name.

As soon as the prisoner arrived at the execution ground, the jailer drunk the prisoner with the "mixed wine" (ecstasy soup) prepared in advance, and was unconscious when he was dragged off the prison car. The prisoners are arranged from east to west, and the executioner cuts them from east to west with a knife. Every time a prisoner was executed, a prison shed was set up on the east side of Xihe Niantang, a Chinese medicine shop opened during Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty.

There are usually three executioners in charge of punishment. One put a special "halter" on the death row, one tied a rope on the death row, and the other took a knife.

During the execution, the executioner holding the iron cage head and the executioner tightening the rope pulled back and forth, and the head and neck of the death row were pulled out of the cavity, and the knife holder took the opportunity to cut it with a knife.

In the more than 200 years of the Qing Dynasty, countless people were executed in the execution ground of Caishikou. According to legend, the soil turned dark red because the prisoner's blood flowed everywhere after the execution.