A visit to prisons of the past might be enough to satisfy human curiosity.

Shockingly, it seems many prisons of the past have become cultural symbols of the communities they once contained.

By Zhang Nan

In the southwestern part of Hongdong County in Shanxi is located the Mingdai (Ming Dynasty) Prison, a Ming (1368-1644) prison with a history of more than 600 years, is in surprisingly good condition.

Mingdai Prison earned its other name "Su San Prison" for the jailing of Su San, a famous Ming Dynasty prostitute.Su's story is famous and has been performed in the traditional Chinese operaYutangchun. She was wrongly accused and jailed in prison waiting for death. Su was not released until her lover became a government official and caught the real criminal.

Both the prison and the hall where Su was interrogated are a part of Yamun County. A showroom for Su's statue with information on her case are on display in the front courtyard. A worker at the prison said the files on Su's case were sealed before 1920, but still aren't displayed for thpublic.

The duty office, cells for convicts awaiting execution and temple for the god of prisons is at the end of the passage. A stone sculpture of god of prisons is set into a wall. At the foot of the wall, there is a hole for dragging the dead criminal's body out. According to ancient prison rules, criminals who died of sudden disease or inquisition by torture could not be taken out of the prison through the gate.The entrance for convicts sentenced to death is opposite to the temple of the god of prisons. An image of Bi¡¯an, once a legendary beast said to manage prisons, is carved atop the entrance. The low, 1.5-meter opening forced all criminals entring to bow their head and show respect for the law.

Through the gate lie another two doors: one which opens from the right and the other from the left. The doors were designed so that if criminals tried to escape, they wouldn't be able to figure out which door to use in the chaos of a prison break.Beyond the doors lies the prison which jailed Su. The walls in the prison for condemned inmates is thicker and higher than in ordinary prisons. The walls are full of silver sand that fell to fill in any holes prisoners attempted to make. The well in the prison's courtyard was 20 to 30 centimeters across to prevent criminals from committing suicide.Getting there: The prison is at No 66, Guhuai Nan Lu, Hongdong County, Shanxi Province. The best route starts in Linfen City, Shanxi Province.

Tel: 0357-622 6127

Cost: 30 yuan per person

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