Laogai Museum

Do you feel that your social studies and history curriculum is static, boring, and too Western-centric? Do you think your students might welcome lessons that cover the appalling, brutal, and still incredibly relevant nature of the Chinese Communist Party? Do you feel that your unit on the Cold War, history of communism, or history of the 20th century is limited due to its exclusion of the Chinese story? Do you want to prepare your students with a basic understanding of modern Chinese history given the reality of today’s global economy?

Do your students know that Chairman Mao was responsible for more than 5 times the death toll (via executions, policy induced famine, torture, war, nuclear testing, political purging, etc…) that Adolf Hitler is associated with? Do your students know that the China is by far the most populous country in the world? Can your students explain the extreme cultural differences between Tibetan Chinese, Uyghur Chinese, and Han Chinese people? Chances are that your textbook does not adequately cover the turbulent history of arguably the soon-to-be most influential country in the world.

The Laogai Research Foundation has recently employed Cole Mitchell, a history graduate student who has a background in teaching high school government, world history, and world geography. Cole’s passion lies in creating innovative lesson plans that pique the interest of students. If you are interested in working with Cole to develop lesson plans for your classes that align with state standards and classroom learning objectives, please don’t hesitate to contact him. He can be reached at the contact information below:

Cole Mitchell

Laogai Research Foundation

1734 20th St. NW

Washington, DC 20009

Cole@Laogai.org

(360) 481-0699

The last few weeks have been rife with violence in China’s Westernmost province. Due to its high proportion of Uyghurs (an ethnic minority that is predominately Muslim), Xinjiang has been a breeding ground for (more often than not) state sponsored violence.

To read up on the latest developments in Xinjiang please follow this link

China has arrested several more Uyghurs in connection with a violent clash between supposed “terrorists” and Chinese police last week. Given the clout surrounding the Chinese state-sponsored media, the “true story” of last week’s events may never be known.

Please read the entire press release here

“The US has urged China to conduct a transparent investigation after clashes in the restive Xinjiang region left 21 people dead.”

Please read the entire article here

Xinjiang is frequently marked by ethnic violence. Tuesday, however, was hardly ordinary. It all began as Chinese officials began searching the homes of suspected Uyghurs for weapons. Before the end of the day, some 15 police and government officials were dead.

Read the entire story here

It is widely known that Chinese government officials are some of the wealthiest government officials in the world. It is also well known that many of China’s government officials acquire their wealth through fraud, intimidation, and other forms of corruption. Apparently the Chinese government just doesn’t want this widely known reality to become even more transparent. In a rather commonplace reaction that makes most Westerners shudder, the government is reportedly seeking”illegal assembly” charges for the activists, an offense that carries a 5 year prison term.

Please read the entire article here

According to researchers at the State Department in Washington, Chinese Human Rights have regressed in recent years. One would think that after nearly a quarter-century since the Tienanmen massacre China would have made significant improvements in human rights; however, religious tension and the corruption of local police entities have made the last several years in China a breeding ground for human rights atrocities. Please read the entire article chronicling the lack of improvement in Chinese human rights here.

In a move reminiscent of 1950s China, three Uyghurs are currently being held in detention for refusing to give their land up to authorities. According to Uyghur villagers, over a hundred police officers came in force to take a sizable plot of farm land owned by the Uyghur village and transform it into a market.

The entire press release is available through Radio Free Asia at the link below:

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/dispute-04122013150515.html

Chinese officials in Tibet sentenced four Tibetans to prison terms ranging from three to six years yesterday. The Chinese government cited dispersing information about a recent self-immolation as the crime of the Tibetans on trial. In addition to their prison sentences, the Tibetans will also have their political rights stripped upon release.

The entire press release is available here

America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry, is set to meet with China’s new leadership some time today. Perhaps the paramount human rights issue that is scheduled to be discussed during the meeting is China’s treatment of the Tibetan people. According to The Tibetan Post, twenty-one US senators have reached out to Kerry in hopes of pressuring the Secretary of State to make real demands on behalf of Tibet.

Please read the entire article on the The Tibetan Post here.