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During the Chinese Civil War, Nationalist Kuomintang forces set up special prisons in major cities across the nation.
They were designed to hold those charged with political crimes -- most of them members of the Communist Party of China.
The imprisoned CPC members were forced to wear shackles weighing 8-10 kilograms.
Some of them lived to see the chains broken; others did not.
Tens of thousands of CPC members died in prison, true to their beliefs tothe veryend.
Chinese artist Hu Yichuan was among the survivors.
He said he would never in his lifeforget the sound of the breaking of chains.
In 1950, Hu painted
Unlocking Shackles
based on his own experiences, as a tribute to those who gave their livesfighting for the liberation of China.
In his painting, the People’s Liberation Army isseen breaking into the prison and unbolting the shackles.
Zhazidong Concentration Camp in Chongqing was latertransformed into an education center, memorializing the sacrifices made for the founding of the New China.
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