Laogai, the abbreviation for Láodòng Gǎizào (劳动改造), which means "reform through labor", refers to an abolished criminal justice system and has been used to refer to the use of penal labour and prison farms in the People's Republic of China (PRC). Láogǎi is different from láojiào, or re-education through labor, which was the abolished administrative detention system for people who were not criminals but had committed minor offenses, and was intended to "reform offenders into law-abiding citizens". Persons who were detained in the laojiao were detained in facilities that were separate from those which comprised the general prison system of the laogai. Both systems, however, were based on penal labor.
Re-education through labor, abbreviated laojiao was a system of administrative detention in Mainland China. The system was active from 1957 to 2013, and it was used to detain persons who were accused of minor crimes such as petty theft, prostitution, and trafficking illegal drugs, as well as political dissidents, petitioners, and Falun Gong followers. It was separate from the much larger laogai system of prison labor camps.
Harry Wu was a Chinese-American human rights activist. Wu spent 19 years in Chinese labor camps, and he became a resident and citizen of the United States. In 1992, he founded the Laogai Research Foundation.
Foshan Prison is a prison in the Gaoming District of Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China. The prison was established as Xijiang Mengjiang Laogai Farm in 1958 and took the name of Foshan Prison in 1995. Prisoners once mined ore at the adjacent Fuwan Xijiang Manganese Mine (富湾西江锰矿), where deposits are now exhausted such that prisoner activity now involves industrial production of rattan and wool goods.
Lianping Prison is a prison in Guangdong province, China, situated in Zhongxin town, Lianping County. It was established as Huiyang Region Liantang Laogai Farm in 1972. It is a large-scale prison where prisoners work in the nearby Lianping Prison Tea Manufacturing Plant (连平监狱制茶厂).
Cong Weixi, who also used the pen names Bi Zheng (碧征) and Cong Ying (从缨), was a Chinese novelist. Condemned as a "rightist" during the Anti-Rightist Campaign in 1957, he spent 20 years in the laogai camps. Following his release in 1978, he published China's first novel on laogai and founded the "High Wall Literature" genre that depicts the traumas suffered by political prisoners in the labor camps. Highly influential in the post-Cultural Revolution literary scene, his works have been translated into many languages.
Zhao Changqing is a history teacher and political activist in the People’s Republic of China.
The Laogai Research Foundation is a human rights NGO located in Washington, D.C, United States. The foundation's mission is to "gather information on and raise public awareness of the Laogai—China's extensive system of forced-labor prison camps."
The Laogai Museum is a museum in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C., United States, which showcases human rights in the People's Republic of China, focusing particularly on the Láogǎi, the Chinese prison system of "Reform through Labor". The creation of the museum was spearheaded by Harry Wu, a well-known Chinese dissident who himself served 19 years in laogai prisons; it was supported by the Yahoo! Human Rights Fund. It opened to the public on 12 November 2008, and Wu's non-profit research organization calls it the first museum in the United States to directly address the issue of human rights in China.
Beijing Juvenile Offender Detachment is a prison in the municipality of Beijing, China.
Beijing Municipal No. 1 Prison or No. 1 Detention Center is a prison in eastern Beijing, China, in proximity to Beijing Capital International Airport.
Beijing Municipal Prison is a prison in Daxing District, Beijing, China. It was established in 1982. It had 1600 prisoners in 2006. It is about one hour away from the centre of Beijing by car.
Beijing Office for Criminal Deportation is a prison in the municipality of Beijing, China. On average detains 2,000 prisoners each year and repatriates 8,000. Charged with the task of detaining and repatriating prisoners who commit crimes in Beijing and are sentenced to death with reprieves, life in prison, or fixed prison sentence.
Beijing Women's Prison is a prison in Daxing District, Beijing, China. It was established in 1999.
Liangxiang Prison is a prison in the municipality of Beijing, China. It was established in 1960. The prison was once the largest elevator factory in China. It currently houses over 1,000 adult male criminals with 10-15 yr. sentences.
Beijing Municipal No. 2 Prison(Chinese: 北京市第二监狱; pinyin: Běijīng Shì Dì'èr Jiānyù) is a prison in the municipality of Beijing, China. Operated by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Prisons, it was established in 1950.
Yanqing Prison is a prison in Yanqing County in the municipality of Beijing, China.
