Zhazidong

Zhazidong

Zhazidong is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

During the Anti-Japanese War — a prison jointly run with the intelligence agencies of U.S. imperialism, specifically used to detain Communists and progressive youths. Located at the foot of Geleshan in Chongqing, China. Zhazidong was originally a coal mine, founded by Cheng Erchang, who was born in 1886 in Zhangjiachang, Ciqikou. At the age of 23, Cheng sold his farmland and successively opened three charcoal factories in areas such as Tudi Tang, Zhazidong, and Qingcaopo between Ciqikou and Martyrs’ Cemetery, mining bituminous coal. The Zhazidong coal mine was established in 1920. Originally a manually excavated mine, it got its name because of the large amount of slag it produced. It is located 2.5 kilometers from Bai Mansion. In 1939, the site was converted into a prison, and in 1943 it was remodeled into the second prison by the Sino-American Cooperative Organization, directly under the Southwest Administrative Office. The Zhazidong prison is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with a deep ditch in front. The prison is divided into an inner and outer courtyard, and also has a basement used for storage. The outer courtyard served as the prison office and interrogation rooms, while the inner courtyard had 16 male cells and 2 female cells, detaining over 700 people at its peak. Notable detainees included Luo Shiwen, Jiang Zhuyun (Sister Jiang), and Li Qinglin.

Zhazidong was originally a small manually operated coal pit, named for its high slag content and low coal yield. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and a ditch on one, its terrain offered concealment. In 1943, Bai Mansion was converted into the third guesthouse of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization, and the “political prisoners” held there were relocated here before being moved back in April 1947.

In December 1947, Zhazidong, which had been closed for more than half a year, reopened as the Second Detention House of the Second Office of the Chongqing Military Command. The detainees mainly came from key figures arrested during the “June 1st” mass arrests in 1947, those implicated in the "Trend Forward Newspaper" case and the "Little Civil Revolution" case. There were also captured rebels following the failure of the uprisings in eastern Sichuan, with the number peaking at over 300. Martyrs such as Jiang Zhuyun, Xu Jianye, and Yu Zusheng were once imprisoned here.

The Zhazidong detention center was divided into an inner and outer courtyard. The inner courtyard featured a fenced exercise yard, sixteen two-story male cells, and two female cells. To psychologically break the resistance of the revolutionaries, the secret police deliberately wrote slogans on the walls of the inner courtyard, such as: “Youth once gone never returns, think carefully, recognize this time and place, do not persist in delusion.”, “Boundless confusion, repentance leads to salvation.”, and “Remain tranquil and patient, bear no grudges nor worries.” The outer courtyard housed the secret police offices and interrogation rooms. The outer courtyard walls displayed slogans directed at the secret police: “What the superiors cannot see, think of, hear, or do, we must see, think of, hear, and do for them.”

Bai Mansion was originally the suburban villa of Bai Ju, a Sichuan warlord. In 1939, the Military Statistics Bureau (Juntong) converted it into a prison to hold “political prisoners.” After the establishment of the Sino-American Cooperative Organization in 1943, it was briefly used as a guesthouse for American personnel. The political prisoners held in Bai Mansion were considered by Juntong to be involved in “serious cases.” These included the anti-Japanese patriotic general Huang Xiansheng, Zhou Junshi, president of Tongji University, patriotic figure –, Communist Song Qiyun and his wife Xu Linxia, along with their young son “Little Radish Head.” At its peak, over 200 political prisoners were detained here.

In 1963, the Zhazidong detention center was restored and opened to the public.

The former site of Zhazidong prison is a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit.