The President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping, has made the fight against corruption his hobbyhorse. Since taking office in 2013, more than one million civil servants have been sentenced. Results so impressive that the prison reserved for the old oils of the regime displays complete.
The “tiger cage”. This is the nickname given to Qincheng Prison north of Beijing. It hosts many senior officials convicted of corruption, the famous “tigers”. Former Commerce Minister Bo Xilai is serving a prison sentence for life.
In addition to the spacious rooms and separate bathrooms they are known to have, Qincheng VIP prisoners have other privileges.
No New Year this year
Usually for the Lunar New Year, celebrated in China, Qincheng detainees over the age of 60 are allowed to visit their families. But not this year, the fault of a saturated prison, as reported by the Hong Kong’s daily South China Morning Post. There are not enough cells to welcome families during the upcoming New Year’s Eve.
Since the beginning of Xi Jinping’s “Tiger and Fly Hunting” in 2013, about 1.3 million officials of all ranks have been convicted of corruption. Among them, lots of people are very important prisoners.
Mao’s wife was imprisoned there
The role of Qincheng star prison, laid out in 1958, is not new. It is the only prison in the country that reports to the Department of Public Safety, when all the others are attached to the Department of Justice. Thus, over the years, many personalities have been locked behind the walls of Qincheng. The most famous Jiang Qing, widow of Mao Zedong imprisoned after the death of the communist leader in 1976.
In China, Lunar New Year festivities lead to the largest seasonal migration in the world. More than 300 million journeys are scheduled to take place across China during the “Golden Week”, a public holiday between Thursday 15 and Wednesday 21 February.
