Laogai Museum

The last several weeks have been busy for the Laogai Museum.

On Thursday, February 20, a group of senior officials from the Department of Homeland Security Immigrations and Customs Enforcement visited the Laogai Museum to gain a better understanding of human rights issues in China and the ongoing exportation of labor camp products into countries like the United States. Following the museum tour, the officials participated in a lengthy discussion with Laogai Research Foundation Staff on strategies to strengthen enforcement of existing laws prohibiting the importation of labor camp products into the US.

Several students groups also visited the museum. Over a dozen University of Maryland students received a guided tour. Issues discussed during the tour included how the Chinese Communist Party has maintained power over the decades and what China’s human rights legacy will be as it becomes more of global power. High school students from the Stony Ridge School were also given a tour, watched a short documentary, and enjoyed a question and answer period with Harry Wu.

The Laogai Museum is pleased to announce its new promotional video. The video is roughly twelve minutes long and functions as a virtual tour of the museum. If you plan on coming to the museum in the future, it might be helpful to view this video beforehand. Or, if you cannot attend the museum for whatever reason, this video can substitute for your missed museum experience. At any rate, we are pleased to announce this new video and its immense educational value. You can view the video by clicking here!

Effective December 2, 2013, the Laogai Museum will be open 7 days a week from 10am-6pm. We are pleased to announce these extended hours! As always, the Laogai Museum has free admission. We are still located on the corner of S and 20th streets just north of the Dupont Circle metro station.

A group of 107 high school students visited the Laogai Museum as part of Hampton University’s Pre-College Summer Program. The students received guided tours of the artifacts on display in the museum from Laogai Research Foundation staff and were treated to a presentation delivered by Executive Director Harry Wu on his experiences in China’s laogai system. The Chinese Communist Party arrested Mr. Wu in 1960 for being a “counter-revolutionary rightist.” He subsequently spent 19 years in various labor camps before being released in 1979.

The Laogai Museum features exhibits, archived documents, and original artifacts depicting the horrors of China’s laogai system, China’s vast system of detention facilities in which countless political prisoners are incarcerated. The museum exists to raise awareness of the laogai system and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party.

If you would like to reserve a group tour of the museum and participate in a discussion with Laogai Research Foundation Executive Director Harry Wu about China’s laogai system, please contact us at laogai@laogai.org or at 202-408-8300.