An eloquent and vivid summary in shocking, never-before-seen photographs smuggled out of the People's Republic of China, LAOGAI exposes the human rights record of the world's most authoritarian state-a nation whose own remarkable transformation has not extended to the basic demands of its people for freedom.

From the coal mines of Sichuan to the giant plantation farms of Zhejiang, the vast spiderweb of the Chinese prison system has its tentacles into every corner of the country, with over three million slave laborers working to make the economic miracle happen. With essays from leading Chinese scholar Andrew J. Nathan and leading dissident Harry Wu, this book discusses the wide range of challenges China faces: from freedom of expression to religious choice, from police brutality to state execution, as well as controversial issues like torture, organ trafficking, forced sterilization, and more.

This carefully researched book includes a comprehensive timeline, recent Chinese history of human rights, reading list, and resource information including lists of banned books, websites, controversial art, and more. It pretexts tales of eye-opening horror, heartbreak, and heroism, as dozens of former prisoners of the Laogai share their individual stories and reveal the pain and dirt that underlies China's shiny modern surface. Moving and disturbing, LAOGAI gives lie to the notion that China is headed to democratization, and urges that on the occasion of the People's Republic's 60th anniversary, we take an honest look at human rights in China, with the chilling knowledge of how the apparatus of control and oppression in this last great communist power remains unchanged.