ABSTRACT
Putting the cultural experiences of a multitude of prisoners during the Cultural Revolution in the historical context of the modern Chinese prison system and in light of the critical theories of methods of penalty and cultural production under incarceration in modern society, this article argues that the formal prison and informal cowshed during the Cultural Revolution both served as important sites for cultural production and dissemination. They also demonstrated the inmates’ perseverance, articulation, and resistance. Beneath the surface of highly structured and formulaic daily routine, mechanic ritual performance, and forced obeisance the political prisoners utilized multiple available forms to negotiate with the authorities, influence each other and even their guards, and maximize the freedom of reading, communication, and gaining outside information. This article also studies the spatial arrangements of the prison which enabled certain degree of freedom for the inmates’ reading, singing, and interaction which rendered the reformative attempt of the state futile.
