Laogai Museum facts for kids
Former residence now home to the Laogai Museum
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | November 12, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1901 18th Street NW Washington, D.C. (formerly 1734 20th St. NW, Washington D.C., United States; initially at 1109 M Street NW, Washington, D.C). |
| Type | Prison museum |
| Public transit access |  Dupont Circle |
The Laogai Museum was a museum in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C., United States. It showed information about human rights in the People's Republic of China. The museum focused on Láogǎi, which was China's system of "Reform through Labor" prisons.
A famous Chinese activist named Harry Wu started the museum. He had spent 19 years in laogai prisons himself. The museum opened on November 12, 2008. It was supported by the Yahoo! Human Rights Fund. Harry Wu's group, the Laogai Research Foundation, said it was the first museum in the U.S. to focus on human rights in China. The museum is now permanently closed.
Understanding China's Prison System
China's prison system has different parts. These include prisons, which used to be called laogai. There were also "re-education through labor" camps, called laojiao. Other parts included mental health facilities and places for young people.
The Laogai Museum mainly focused on the laogai system. Harry Wu's group called it the "most extensive system of forced labor camps in the world." People in these camps were made to do hard work. They also had to go through "thought reform," which tried to change their ideas. Many countries around the world criticized this system.
In 1994, the Chinese government stopped using the name laogai. They renamed these places "prisons" (jianyu). However, the Laogai Research Foundation and others believe that forced labor continued. They also say that prison conditions did not get better.
What the Museum Showed
Harry Wu said the museum's goal was to teach people about the laogai. It also aimed to remember the people who suffered there. The museum showed the "history and structure of the laogai."
It displayed items related to the laogai system. These included prison uniforms and photographs. There were also government documents. The museum showed products made by prisoners. These items included Christmas lights, tea bags, and plastic flowers. Many items were given by people who survived the laogai. Other items came from Harry Wu's own collections. The museum also had many records of prison-made goods. It kept stories from victims and Chinese government papers.
The museum seemed to close in early 2017. This was after its founder, Harry Wu, passed away in April 2016. Some people had criticized him for spending too much on the museum. They thought the money should go to human rights activists instead. However, the museum reopened in October 2018.
How the Museum Was Funded
Part of the museum's money came from the Yahoo! Human Rights Fund. This fund was set up by Yahoo! (an internet company). Yahoo! had been criticized for helping Chinese police find and arrest internet activists.
The fund was led by Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang. It was part of Yahoo!'s apology for its actions. Helping to fund the Laogai Museum was one of the fund's first public projects.
