These handmade shoes belonged to a prisoner who was subjected to “Jiuye,” or forced job placement, during the Mao era. Once convicts have served their Laogai sentences, the government can arbitrarily extend their imprisonment by assigning prisoners to Jiuye. They must live and work in the prison compound and are not truly released from punishment. The prisoners’ situations are somewhat improved in that they are given a small salary and occasional days off. Aside from these small benefits, however, prisoners are still deprived of their freedom, and their lives remain much the same. To many prisoners, Jiuye is actually worse than their original sentence, because it can be extended indefinitely at the government’s discretion.

这双手制棉鞋由一名在毛泽东时代被迫留场就业的劳改幸存者捐赠。犯人们服刑满了后，政府就可用“就业”的名义继续无限地延长关押。强迫就业者必须在监区里工作、生活，无法真正结束服刑。虽然他们也有一些微薄的酬劳和偶有假期，但生活没有任何实质性改善，也仍然毫无自由。对很多人而言，就业就如同被判了无期徒刑，甚至比真正的刑罚更可怕。