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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 19. 2nd August 1973

Prisons

Prisons

Questions on the life in prisons and the success of the re-education programme followed our discussion. We found out that any of the of the inhumane activities such as the torture and beating carried out in prisons during the feudal era are now absolutely prohibited and strict checks are made to observe this. In the 20 years since the liberation of China this system has proved very successful with many prisoners transformed from bad to good by relying on themselves and their comrades.

One example cited was to them a typical example of the ruling class oppressors of the feudal era. Pu Yi was the leader of the exploiting class, the last Emperor of the Ching dynasty and had been living a parasitic existence off the sweat and toil of the peasants who worked his land. He refused to give up his property and was sentenced to imprisonment. At this time he had no experience at all in physical labour and could not even make himself a cup of tea. Through engaging in production in the fields and political study he learned that it was a good feeling to serve the people and did some very valuable work for his commune. Pu Yi was one of the most tyrannical and cruel rulers in the feudal era and yet he was not shot as many propagandarists say was the fate of such people. Pu Yi eventually ended up working in the National Historical Library adding much to the material known about that era. He died two years ago of old age.