Shanghai prisoners' poetry published
(eastday.com)
Updated: 2004-12-16 08:22

A collection of poetry written by inmates of Shanghai's Tilanqiao Prison went on sale yesterday morning.

The book entitled "Guilty Soul and Poet Spirits" is comprised of more than 150 poems selected from about 5,000 verses produced by inmates over the past 15 years.

Police, reporters and a handful of city officials participate in the initial distribution ceremony, which was part of a series of activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the Prison Law.

Set up in April 1989 in Tilanqiao Prison, the New Lotus Poem Association runs a periodical publication named "New Lotus" and has issued 70 volumes so far.

"Creations of about 1,000 inmates have been printed and more than 300 were publicized in local newspapers such as Xinmin Evening News and Jiefang Daily," said a prison official Wu Xinwei.

"Poetry writing and appreciation has been popular among inmates. There is a prisoner aged 73 in our prison, always taking an active part in this cultural activity," Wu said.

He added that poetry creation offered an effective and ideal way for convicts to give vent to their emotions.

A woman convict surnamed Yao said "New Lotus" is the cradle of her progress and the recovery of her humanity.

"My terms will be completed soon. What I have learned in the poem association helps me return to society with a normal mood and a healthy mind," she said.

Another prisoner surnamed Liu said he felt his soul purified every time he was working on a poem.

"I started to write poems in 1996 and now I have been working as an editor," the man boasted.

Liu Yungeng, vice Party secretary, spoke highly of the publication of "New Lotus," saying it added a brilliant touch to the prison. "Labor alone is not enough to reform a prisoner. We aim at remolding their ideology and cultural creation is one of the best solutions."

The book is available at local stores for about 20 yuan (US$2.4).

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