John Moyse
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Private John Moyse was a British soldier of the 3rd Regiment who according to popular legend was captured by Chinese soldiers during the Second Opium War and later was executed for refusing to prostra
Private John Moyse, The 3rd (East Kent, The Buffs) Regiment of Foot, refusing to kow-tow before the Tartar Mandarin Tsan-koo-lin-sin, 1860
Kowtow
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A kowtow, also spelled kaotao, is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one's head touching the ground. It was commonly used in religious worship
John Moyse
…Buffs", and an unnamed sergeant of the 44th (East Essex) Regiment. The next day the prisoners were brought before a local mandarin and were ordered to kow-tow, under penalty of torture or execution if they did not comply. Private Moyse alone refused and was savagely beaten and then beheaded, his body afterwards…
Pottery figure of a kowtowing official, Song Dynasty
Staged photograph of a Kowtow being performed before a magistrate by William Saunders, c. 1865–72.
Vietnamese laureates of the triennial Confucian exam kowtow towards the shrine in Nam Định, 1897
The man was paying his respects to the deceased by kowtowing at the graveyard.