SubjectsCulture FactsFactsIP FactoidsWeird Facts Ancient Chinese nobles committed suicide by eating salt. By IP Factly - Sep 8, 2016 0 3 Share on Facebook Tweet on Twitter Image credit: Happy Krissy/CC BY 2.0 Image credit: Happy Krissy/CC BY 2.0 Salt was expensive in ancient China so only the nobility could afford it. When committing suicide, they would consume one pound of salt, which was effective since as little as 1 gram per 1 kilogram of body weight is already enough to be fatal.