Lüshun Russo-Japanese Prison Site Museum

Lüshun Russo-Japanese Prison Site Museum

The Lüshun Russo-Japanese Prison Site Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a patriotic education base.

The Lüshun Russo-Japanese Prison Site is located at No. 139 Xiangyang Street, Lüshunkou District, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. This prison was initially built by Tsarist Russia in 1902 and expanded by Japan in 1907.

The Russo-Japanese Prison Site is the most renowned historical site in Lüshun. It was where Japanese invaders imprisoned and tortured Chinese patriots and international anti-war activists. Here, you can see the complete and massive prison facilities, including cells, torture instruments, and execution grounds, which bear witness to that humiliating history and serve as a solemn reminder for the nation not to forget its past.

The Russo-Japanese Prison Site covers a large area, and a thorough visit takes about two hours. You must present your ID to enter. Free guided tours are available at 10:00 and 13:30, or you can hire a paid guide at the entrance. However, the museum’s text and photo displays are very detailed, so you can still learn a lot by exploring on your own. Photography is allowed inside. Due to its history as a prison, the interior remains cool even in summer, and it is not recommended to bring very young children.

The Russo-Japanese Prison was initially built by Tsarist Russia in 1902, occupied by Japan after the Russo-Japanese War, and subsequently expanded by the Japanese. The gray-brick section you see upon entering was built by Tsarist Russia in the early period, while the large red-brick buildings behind were added later by the Japanese. Inside the museum, you can follow the signage to tour the site in order, visiting the body-checking room, East Wing Cells, Dark Cell, Interrogation Room, West Wing Cells, the triangular area between the Central and West Wings, North Gate, and the Execution Ground, among other areas. At the end, there are also exhibits such as the “Special Exhibition of Modern War Relics” and the “Exhibition of Modern Stone Inscriptions.”

The front part of the prison mainly consists of cells and interrogation rooms, where you can see the harsh detention conditions of prisoners and various torture instruments on display. Thousands of anti-war activists from countries including China, Korea, Japan, and the former Soviet Union were imprisoned here, most of them Chinese. The famous Korean patriot An Jung-geun was also detained and killed here, which is why you’ll find many Korean visitors.

The rear part of the prison houses over ten factory buildings where the Japanese army forced prisoners to produce military supplies and daily necessities. Here, you’ll see towering red-brick walls topped with electrified fences and guard towers along the perimeter. In one corner, there is an execution chamber with a gallows and bone buckets on display, creating a somber atmosphere. Between 1942 and 1945 alone, more than 700 people were hanged or tortured to death here, earning this hellish place the nickname “the Auschwitz of the East.”

Address: No. 139 Xiangyang Street, Lüshunkou District, Dalian

Type: Museum / Historical Building

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 2–3 hours

Phone: 0411-86610675

Opening Hours:

May 1 – October 10: 9:00–15:30; October 11 – April 30: 9:00–15:00. Closed all day on Mondays and Chinese New Year’s Eve. (The museum is currently under renovation and will reopen in early May.)

Further Reading:

· National Second-Class Museum of China