Many people may think of the harsh guards and harsh living conditions, but if I tell you that some war criminals not only do not have the idea of escaping, but enjoy life there, this article will take you back to China in the 50s and 70s of the 20th century, and explore the extraordinary life of war criminals in those years. Why do they stick to the War Criminals Management Center? And what makes a wise and courageous general indulge in the impossible perpetual motion machine research? Follow my steps and find out!
Let's start with a war criminal named Shen Zui. Shen Zuiyuan was a Kuomintang officer who was captured and sent to the War Criminals Management Center for rehabilitation after the war. Different from people's impression of a life behind bars, Shen Zui mentioned an unexpected phenomenon in the book "What I Saw and Heard in the Reform Center of War Criminals" in the suburbs of Beijing, where war criminals can work half a day and study half a day, enjoy fresh air and food, and have a flavor of their own.
In the early 1950s, Shen was imprisoned in Chongqing's Jialing Brigade, which was so lax that several corps commanders took the opportunity to escape. But then, the management gradually became stricter, and Shen Zui deeply understood this. He feared that something similar would happen in Gongdelin. Surprisingly, life here makes everyone reluctant to flee.
Why is this happening? Shen Zui later found that the reason behind this was far deeper than he imagined. In 1958, although news of the amnesty had not yet been announced, some of the visiting senior generals had already revealed the news to let the war criminals know that they would not be here for long. What's more, the war criminals also monitored each other closely, and if someone tried to escape, they would be immediately reported by others.
Living on a farm is not bitter. Du Yuming, a former head of the sewing team, was able to find suitable jobs on the farm, such as weeding or sewing clothes, even after recovering from a serious illness, which made them feel that this life was quite fulfilling. Shen himself brought barber tools to work, as if they were enjoying an outing rather than serving a prison sentence.
Another striking figure is Huang Wei, a former army general who spent his post-war years obsessed with the study of perpetual motion machines. How can a well-educated military leader, you ask, indulge in such a scientifically proven impossible project? But in fact, Huang Wei's obsession with this borders on obsession. In a small room in prison, he builds models and experiments day in and day out, as if this will take him away from the pain of reality. Perhaps for him, this is not only an exploration of science, but also a kind of spiritual comfort and spiritual freedom. Huang Wei's behavior makes people wonder how people's spiritual activities and pursuits can be stimulated and maintained, even under extreme conditions.
These war criminals are not just an account of history, they reflect the complexity and diversity of human nature in extreme circumstances. In such a special environment as the war criminals management center, everyone is looking for the meaning and method of survival in their own way. Whether it is to feel the value of life through labor, or to seek spiritual sustenance through scientific research, their behavior is silently telling us that even in a seemingly closed environment, the human mind is free, and the human mind is unrestrained.
The daily lives of war criminals are not isolated. Their interactions with each other, and even with the guards, constitute a delicate social system. In the system, everyone finds their place in role-playing. Some may be leaders, some may be observers, and some may be recorders. Their existence is intertwined with each other, forming a complex web that is different from the traditional relationship between prisoners and prison guards.
Let's go back to intoxication. His years in the War Criminals Management Facility, though full of uncertainty and apprehension, were also an extremely important turning point in his life. From a military general to a thinker and recorder, the change of intoxication is a product of the environmental influence of the management of war criminals. And his record of this history is not only a review of his own experience, but also a testimony to that era.
Through the eyes of these war criminals, we see a different history. A history that is not just a history of war and politics, but a history of how individuals maintain their dignity and freedom in a variety of ways under certain circumstances. These stories show us that even under the most adverse conditions, man's will to survive and the pursuit of freedom can still find a way out and a way of expression.
Looking back at life in the prison for war criminals in the 1950s and 70s, we see not only the other side of history, but also the power of human nature. There, war criminals demonstrated the complexity of human beings and the tenacity of life in different ways. They are a deep reflection on history and a revelation for the future. In any case, man's spiritual pursuits and freedom of thought are inalienable. Doesn't this also give each of us the courage and inspiration to be indomitable in the face of adversity?