Severe Crowding
In this time of being in prison, the other hardship we had to endure was the severe crowding. It was difficult and unpleasant during the daytime, but at night it is unbearable. I have said that there were sixteen persons on a wide bed and four other persons must sleep on the ground. There were two persons to one sleeping blanket. We were divided feet to head with every other two people sleeping opposite. One must sleep on one’s side. Often times the crowding caused an exchange of blows.
It was most difficult if the man sleeping on one end of the room needed to go to the bucket on the other side to urinate. It was a hard path to follow. He must insert his feet in between the head and body and move very carefully. If he bumped into another, a dispute might be started. People tried so hard to not have to urinate at night.
We felt packed in tighter than sardines all the time. In addition, the prison stipulated that we were not allowed to tell each other our names. So we all used a code to tell each other our work unit and occupation. We were not allowed to talk. Prisoners had to sit up straight on the bed and could not make a sound. This was called “ideological remolding and self-criticism.” If you were speaking or moving and the squad leader discovered you when he randomly opened the little window in the door, you would be punished. You might be ordered to stretch out your hands outside the small window and they would be struck. They also might have a rubber band put around your wrist. After sometime or if it happened too many times, the wrist would become cut or discolored from lack of circulation. You could receive a beating if it happened too often.
The guards had many ways to punish us. For example, one night two prisoners fought over a place on the bed. The squad leader punished them by making them stand for three hours without being able to sleep.
Every two weeks family members of the lucky ones were allowed to deliver things for prisoners, except no food was allowed to be brought in. The main item that was delivered was toilet paper, which made life so much better. Also cotton wadding was needed to create warmth when it was cold. Things were only allowed to come in, nothing could go out. If the family delivered a quilt in the winter, during the warm season the guards gave us a hard time because our prison room was so small and there was no place for storage. The supreme dread we strangely felt was having a family member deliver a quilt at the wrong time.
Family members of the lucky ones brought toilet paper every two weeks. My greatest need was for toilet paper. If my family had been there I know that they would gladly have sent me toilet paper, but I had no one to help me. At that time there were no coupons to buy toilet paper. I will not describe the discomfort and agony this caused, but you can perhaps imagine.
At that time in China every household and person was registered. Then each person was given coupons for a certain weight of food according to their occupation and station. To buy any food a person had to have coupons, even for rice and cooking oil. A physical worker was allowed more food and rice than an office worker. Children were given coupons for a quantity of food according to their age. There were some people who were not registered for coupons, but were able to stay alive by getting coupons from others. The most common example of this were prostitutes who often received no coupons, but could be paid with coupons. Some unfortunate women were forced into prostitution in order to eat.
As additional punishment, a prisoner also might be sent to an administrator. The guards did not keep the key to the door of our cell. It was believed that if they were able to open the door at any time to come in and take prisoners out as they deemed necessary, they would beat, mistreat and eventually kill all the prisoners. The guards could be very cruel people. They could report you for various infractions and an administrator would come with the key to take you out. You would be handcuffed and taken away for an unknown and severe fate. The fear itself was often punishment enough.
There were all types of people in prison besides political prisoners. Evildoers of every hue were also put in prison. There were thieves, local ruffians, hoodlums, violators of labor contracts, quack sellers of tea, and supposed spies for Russia or America. What this meant is that if you knew a foreigner or had any contact with a foreigner it was assumed that you were a spy for that country. There became a list of the black nine kinds of elements. Like me the man who ferreted out antagonistic organizations in the “great cultural revolution.” It was as if dragons and fish were all jumbled together. Outside is a big world and the prison is a little world. I saw and learned many many things in this little world that I had had no idea about before.