Tilanqiao Prison
Encyclopedia
Tilanqiao Prison is a prison
, located in the Hongkou district of Shanghai
, People's Republic of China
. Originally built as part of the foreign-controlled Shanghai International Settlement
, it is now run by the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
. Throughout the first forty or so years of its life it was the largest prison in the world and earned a reputation as the "Alcatraz of the Orient".
prisons within their consulates, turned over to the Chinese authorities or returned to their country, but in 1901 the Shanghai Municipal Council were presented a plan for a modern-style construction based on Singaporean designs, with grill-doors and multi-levelled walkways. Construction began at 117 Ward Road immediately, with the first prisoners beginning their sentence there on 18 May 1903.
Originally comprising 450 cells across two four-storey blocks, the prison was expanded after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution
, when the previously Chinese-run courts of the Settlement were abandoned by the Qing government and occupied by the Shanghai Municipal Police
(SMP). Further extensions began in 1916 and continued until 1935, when the prison reached a grand total of some 70,000 square metres (17 acre), including six prison blocks, a juvenile block, a hospital, an administration block, workshops, a kitchen and laundry block, and an execution chamber, all surrounded by a thick, five metre tall wall with guard-towers. The execution chamber is considered unique in Asia in that it carried out death by hanging
, with the body dropping through a trapdoor directly into the prison hospital's morgue
. Over the years specialist rooms were added to the prison, including 'isolation rooms' with rubber wallpaper and a secure area for regrouping in event of a riot.
The prison population was a mix of Chinese and European males found guilty by the Settlement's consular courts (though some European countries preferred not to sent convicts to Ward Road Gaol and instead deported them), with Chinese women convicts only integrated between 1904 and 1906, after which they were sent elsewhere. European women continued to be housed in a Foreign Women's Block until 1922. In 1925, the decision was made to no longer imprison Western convicts at Ward Road and instead sent them to Amoy Road Gaol. Therefore, between 1925 and 1930 Ward Road Gaol became a prison predominantly housing Chinese prisoners, controlled and run by a predominantly British
and Sikh
staff. In 1930, Chiang Kai-shek
's Kuomintang
government negotiated for 'all' male prisoners, Western or Chinese, to be sent to Ward Road Gaol and for it to be run as close to Chinese guidelines as possible. This was agreed in theory, though the British staff were unwilling to enforce Chinese discipline on the prisoners, which was even harsher than the prison's own rough justice.
Conditions inside Ward Road Gaol were considered to be some of the harshest in the world. Silence was enforced at all times, overcrowding was rife, and in 1934 there were only 2925 cells between its 6000 inmates. Tuberculosis was found in nearly 65% of long-term prisoners, while violence and discipline were enforced by use of long batons. The majority of warders were India
n Sikhs who were despised by their Chinese prisoners, and any guard could use their baton to strike a prisoner who approached them without being granted permission. Western prisoners were better cared for, being given lighter duties, separate cells and better uniforms, but after 1930 they too were brought under the same discipline system.
seized the International Settlement as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War
in 1941, the prison kept many of its Sikh and European guards, though this changed when it was turned over to Wang Jingwei Government
in 1943. The prison was renamed Tilanqiao Prison after the district of Hongkou it was sited in, and was used as a prison for Chinese dissidents against the Nanjing government, western prisoners of war, and some European civilians. Many prisoners were taken from the prison by the Japanese as forced labour.
In 1945 the Axis Powers
surrendered and the newly-minted Tilanqiao Prison was brought under the control of Chiang Kai-shek 's Kuomintang government, who used the prison to detain several hundred Japanese war criminals and a number of Chinese who had been part Wang Jingwei's government. In 1947 the first trials of these criminals were held, with thirteen of the prisoners being executed inside the prison's walls.
in 1949, Shanghai's Tilanqiao Prison was brought under the control of the Municipal Military Control Commission and renamed the Shanghai People's Prison. In 1951 it was turned over to the civil Public Security Bureau
and renamed Shanghai Prison. It continued under this name until 1995 when it regained its current name: Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison.
Today Tilanqiao Prison is one of China's largest and most (in)famous prisons, often viewed as a model prison. Nevertheless, human rights
groups and Western governments argue the prison continues to engage in its legacy of torture, deprivation and cruelty. The recent torture and ill-treatment of Mao Hengfeng
illustrates the brutality at the prison.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, located in the Hongkou district of Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, People's Republic of 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...
. Originally built as part of the foreign-controlled Shanghai International Settlement
Shanghai International Settlement
The Shanghai International Settlement began originally as a purely British settlement. It was one of the original five treaty ports which were established under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the first opium war in the year 1842...
, it is now run by the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
. Throughout the first forty or so years of its life it was the largest prison in the world and earned a reputation as the "Alcatraz of the Orient".
Ward Road Gaol Period (1903-1941)
Prior to 1900 criminals in Shanghai's European Concessions were either held in ad hocAd hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
prisons within their consulates, turned over to the Chinese authorities or returned to their country, but in 1901 the Shanghai Municipal Council were presented a plan for a modern-style construction based on Singaporean designs, with grill-doors and multi-levelled walkways. Construction began at 117 Ward Road immediately, with the first prisoners beginning their sentence there on 18 May 1903.
Originally comprising 450 cells across two four-storey blocks, the prison was expanded after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution
Xinhai Revolution
The Xinhai Revolution or Hsinhai Revolution, also known as Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing , and established the Republic of China...
, when the previously Chinese-run courts of the Settlement were abandoned by the Qing government and occupied by the Shanghai Municipal Police
Shanghai Municipal Police
The Shanghai Municipal Police was the police force of the Shanghai Municipal Council which governed the Shanghai International Settlement between 1854 and 1943, when the settlement was retroceded to Chinese control....
(SMP). Further extensions began in 1916 and continued until 1935, when the prison reached a grand total of some 70,000 square metres (17 acre), including six prison blocks, a juvenile block, a hospital, an administration block, workshops, a kitchen and laundry block, and an execution chamber, all surrounded by a thick, five metre tall wall with guard-towers. The execution chamber is considered unique in Asia in that it carried out death by hanging
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
, with the body dropping through a trapdoor directly into the prison hospital's morgue
Morgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
. Over the years specialist rooms were added to the prison, including 'isolation rooms' with rubber wallpaper and a secure area for regrouping in event of a riot.
The prison population was a mix of Chinese and European males found guilty by the Settlement's consular courts (though some European countries preferred not to sent convicts to Ward Road Gaol and instead deported them), with Chinese women convicts only integrated between 1904 and 1906, after which they were sent elsewhere. European women continued to be housed in a Foreign Women's Block until 1922. In 1925, the decision was made to no longer imprison Western convicts at Ward Road and instead sent them to Amoy Road Gaol. Therefore, between 1925 and 1930 Ward Road Gaol became a prison predominantly housing Chinese prisoners, controlled and run by a predominantly British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
staff. In 1930, Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's 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...
government negotiated for 'all' male prisoners, Western or Chinese, to be sent to Ward Road Gaol and for it to be run as close to Chinese guidelines as possible. This was agreed in theory, though the British staff were unwilling to enforce Chinese discipline on the prisoners, which was even harsher than the prison's own rough justice.
Conditions inside Ward Road Gaol were considered to be some of the harshest in the world. Silence was enforced at all times, overcrowding was rife, and in 1934 there were only 2925 cells between its 6000 inmates. Tuberculosis was found in nearly 65% of long-term prisoners, while violence and discipline were enforced by use of long batons. The majority of warders were India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Sikhs who were despised by their Chinese prisoners, and any guard could use their baton to strike a prisoner who approached them without being granted permission. Western prisoners were better cared for, being given lighter duties, separate cells and better uniforms, but after 1930 they too were brought under the same discipline system.
Wartime Period (1941-1949)
After the Imperial Japanese ArmyImperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
seized the International Settlement as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
in 1941, the prison kept many of its Sikh and European guards, though this changed when it was turned over to Wang Jingwei Government
Wang Jingwei Government
In March 1940 a puppet government led by Wang Jingwei was established in the Republic of China under the protection of the Empire of Japan. The regime officially called itself the Republic of China and its government the Reorganized National Government of China...
in 1943. The prison was renamed Tilanqiao Prison after the district of Hongkou it was sited in, and was used as a prison for Chinese dissidents against the Nanjing government, western prisoners of war, and some European civilians. Many prisoners were taken from the prison by the Japanese as forced labour.
In 1945 the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
surrendered and the newly-minted Tilanqiao Prison was brought under the control of Chiang Kai-shek 's Kuomintang government, who used the prison to detain several hundred Japanese war criminals and a number of Chinese who had been part Wang Jingwei's government. In 1947 the first trials of these criminals were held, with thirteen of the prisoners being executed inside the prison's walls.
Modern Period (1950-)
With the victory of the Communists in the Chinese Civil WarChinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
in 1949, Shanghai's Tilanqiao Prison was brought under the control of the Municipal Military Control Commission and renamed the Shanghai People's Prison. In 1951 it was turned over to the civil Public Security Bureau
Public Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
and renamed Shanghai Prison. It continued under this name until 1995 when it regained its current name: Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison.
Today Tilanqiao Prison is one of China's largest and most (in)famous prisons, often viewed as a model prison. Nevertheless, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
groups and Western governments argue the prison continues to engage in its legacy of torture, deprivation and cruelty. The recent torture and ill-treatment of Mao Hengfeng
Mao Hengfeng
Mao Hengfeng is a women's rights and human rights activist in the People's Republic of China. She refused to abort her third child after already having twins and was detained in an ankang and then dismissed from her job...
illustrates the brutality at the prison.
See also
- Penal system in the People's Republic of ChinaPenal system in the People's Republic of ChinaHard labor still was the most common form of punishment in China in the 1980s. The penal system stressed reform rather than retribution, and it was expected that productive labor would reduce the penal institutions' cost to society. Even death sentences could be stayed by two-year reprieve...
- Shanghai International SettlementShanghai International SettlementThe Shanghai International Settlement began originally as a purely British settlement. It was one of the original five treaty ports which were established under the terms of the Treaty of Nanking at the end of the first opium war in the year 1842...
- Shanghai Municipal PoliceShanghai Municipal PoliceThe Shanghai Municipal Police was the police force of the Shanghai Municipal Council which governed the Shanghai International Settlement between 1854 and 1943, when the settlement was retroceded to Chinese control....