Laogai: The Chinese Gulag

In this original and evocative work, Hongda Harry Wu reveals the hidden world of the laogaidui--the PRC's labor reform camps--to the Western reader. Wu, himself a survivor of nineteen years in the camps, takes the reader through the harsh landscape found there. He thoroughly explains their ideological origins, complex structure, and living conditions--which the author claims are approached only by the Nazi concentration camps and the Soviet Gulag. What makes the PRC's laogaidui unique, according to Wu, is the essential contribution to China's GNP of the commodities produced by the prisoners and the concomitant indispensability to the nation's economic health. The author bolsters the text with a rich compilation of photographs, charts, and maps that reflect his exhaustive research and personal history in the camps. This book provides a comprehensive view of the grim reality of the labor camps, presenting a rare glimpse into the inner workings of the PRC.