Abstract
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Yang Kui wrote a rich assortment of literary works during his 12 years of imprisonment for the April 6 Incident in 1949. Many studies have been conducted on these literary works, but few have investigated the life and thoughts of Yang during his imprisonment. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis on Yang’s life during his imprisonment in Lyudao through a review on relevant historical materials, particularly the first-hand data that have never been quoted by researchers, including the original prison files archived in the official documents and by the National Archives Administration. First, the verdicts were cited from the perspective of legal history to clarify the backgrounds and reasons of Yang’s imprisonment. Second, the oral descriptions provided by political criminals regarding their experience of imprisonment in Lyudao were reviewed to illustrate Yang’s life in Lyudao. Third, the prison files archived by the National Archives Administration were collected to analyze the disciplinary system of the disciplinary office for new prisoners and thereby clarify the thoughts of Yang. The results revealed that official records are available for answering the time-related questions speculated in prior research, and Yang was confirmed to have adhered to his socialist ideals rather than having his minds reformed.
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