Fushun War Criminals Management Centre
Encyclopedia
Fushun War Criminals Management Centre , also known as Liaodong No. 3 Prison or Liaoning No. 3 Prison was the site of the re-education of Manchuko, Kuomintang and Japanese prisoners of war, held by China from 1950 onwards. It was located in the Xinfu District of Fushun
city, Liaoning
Province, China
, about 50 kilometers to the northeast of Shenyang
. Among the inmates were Puyi
, the last emperor of China and former puppet emperor of Manchukuo
, his younger brother Pujie
and several other important World War II
figures such as Xi Qia
, Zang Shiyi
and Zhang Jinghui
. Part of the prison site remains in use, but the older section has been turned into a museum depicting the history of Fushun war criminals management centre and the life of the people who worked or were interned there.
The prison was originally constructed in 1936 by the occupying Japanese. At the end of World War II, the USSR had overrun the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo and captured many of its government members and military personnel, both Chinese and Japanese. These prisoners were held near Khabarovsk
(Boli) in the USSR's Far East Region
. During 1949 and early 1950, the Chinese sent delegations to the USSR headed by Mao Zedong
in which they secured the extradition of these prisoners to China. Premier Zhou Enlai instructed the Northeast Judicial Department to make preparations for handling the war criminals. Liaodong No. 3 prison, on the northern edge of Fushun city, was selected for conversion into the War Criminals Management Centre.
The first train carrying prisoners arrived in Fushun station at 3 o'clock on July 21, 1950. They were then transferred the short distance to the prison by bus. In this first train load there were 969 Japanese detainees and 71 prisoners from the Manchukuo puppet regeme. Some other Japanese prisoners were transferred from other locations such as Taiyuan War Criminals Management Centre, to bring the total number of Japanese prisoners to 982. The Japanese prisoners can be divided by occupation into 667 army personnel, 116 gendarme, 155 special police and 44 administrative. Of these 35 had the rank of general, 125 were field officers and 852 were junior officers or below. Alongside these prisoners from World War II were inmates from the Chinese Civil War that ended in 1949. These Kuomintang
prisoners numbered 354.
In 1956, trials of the Japanese prisoners were undertaken. Over the period 1956 to 1964, the Japanese prisoners were all released. Between 1959 and 1975, the Manchukuo and Kuomintang prisoners received special pardons and were released in stages. In total over 1300 prisoners had passed through the centre.
The Fushun War Criminals Management Centre was converted, in 1986, to a museum and opened to the public. The War Criminals Management Centre was depicted in several scenes of the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci
film, The Last Emperor
, which won 9 Oscars.
Fushun
Fushun is a city in Liaoning, China, about 45 km east from Shenyang, with a population about 2,138 090 inhabitants at the 2010 census and an area of 11,271 km2, including 713 km2 of the city proper. Fushun is situated on the Hun He . It was formerly called Fouchouen in French...
city, Liaoning
Liaoning
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northeast of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "辽" , a name taken from the Liao River that flows through the province. "Níng" means "peace"...
Province, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, about 50 kilometers to the northeast of Shenyang
Shenyang
Shenyang , or Mukden , is the capital and largest city of Liaoning Province in Northeast China. Currently holding sub-provincial administrative status, the city was once known as Shengjing or Fengtianfu...
. Among the inmates were Puyi
Puyi
Puyi , of the Manchu Aisin Gioro clan, was the last Emperor of China, and the twelfth and final ruler of the Qing Dynasty. He ruled as the Xuantong Emperor from 1908 until his abdication on 12 February 1912. From 1 to 12 July 1917 he was briefly restored to the throne as a nominal emperor by the...
, the last emperor of China and former puppet emperor of Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
, his younger brother Pujie
Pujie
-External links:**...
and several other important World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
figures such as Xi Qia
Xi Qia
Xi Qia , also Xi Xia , was a general in command of the Kirin Provincial Army of the Republic of China, who defected to the Japanese during the Invasion of Manchuria in 1931, and who subsequently served as a cabinet minister in Manchukuo....
, Zang Shiyi
Zang Shiyi
Zang Shiyi , was Chinese general and Governor of Liaoning Province at the time of the invasion of Manchuria in 1932.-Biography:Zang was born in Shenyang county of Liaoning Province in 1884. He traveled to Japan on a scholarship, and graduated from the cavalry school of the Imperial Japanese Army...
and Zhang Jinghui
Zhang Jinghui
Zhāng Jǐnghuì ; 1871 – 1 November 1959) was a Chinese general and politician during the Warlord era. He is noted for his role in the Japanese puppet regime of Manchukuo in which he served as its second and final Prime Minister.-Biography:...
. Part of the prison site remains in use, but the older section has been turned into a museum depicting the history of Fushun war criminals management centre and the life of the people who worked or were interned there.
The prison was originally constructed in 1936 by the occupying Japanese. At the end of World War II, the USSR had overrun the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo and captured many of its government members and military personnel, both Chinese and Japanese. These prisoners were held near Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...
(Boli) in the USSR's Far East Region
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
. During 1949 and early 1950, the Chinese sent delegations to the USSR headed by Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
in which they secured the extradition of these prisoners to China. Premier Zhou Enlai instructed the Northeast Judicial Department to make preparations for handling the war criminals. Liaodong No. 3 prison, on the northern edge of Fushun city, was selected for conversion into the War Criminals Management Centre.
The first train carrying prisoners arrived in Fushun station at 3 o'clock on July 21, 1950. They were then transferred the short distance to the prison by bus. In this first train load there were 969 Japanese detainees and 71 prisoners from the Manchukuo puppet regeme. Some other Japanese prisoners were transferred from other locations such as Taiyuan War Criminals Management Centre, to bring the total number of Japanese prisoners to 982. The Japanese prisoners can be divided by occupation into 667 army personnel, 116 gendarme, 155 special police and 44 administrative. Of these 35 had the rank of general, 125 were field officers and 852 were junior officers or below. Alongside these prisoners from World War II were inmates from the Chinese Civil War that ended in 1949. These Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
prisoners numbered 354.
In 1956, trials of the Japanese prisoners were undertaken. Over the period 1956 to 1964, the Japanese prisoners were all released. Between 1959 and 1975, the Manchukuo and Kuomintang prisoners received special pardons and were released in stages. In total over 1300 prisoners had passed through the centre.
The Fushun War Criminals Management Centre was converted, in 1986, to a museum and opened to the public. The War Criminals Management Centre was depicted in several scenes of the 1987 Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers...
film, The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor
The Last Emperor is a 1987 biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, whose autobiography was the basis for the screenplay written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci. Independently produced by Jeremy Thomas, it was directed by Bertolucci and released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures...
, which won 9 Oscars.