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China · Beijing · Beijing

Qincheng Prison

Ministry of Public SecurityMaximummixedLowLow
Verified · Data dated
Aging · 4mo ago
Sources last reviewed on · data-as-of

Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.

For families

How to send mail, money, and visit Qincheng Prison

Step-by-step guidance using the China system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.

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Photograph of Qincheng Prison

China's most well-known political prison. Built with Soviet assistance; holds senior officials convicted of corruption and high-profile political prisoners.

Background

The Ministry of Public Security Qincheng Prison (Chinese: 公安部秦城监狱) is a maximum-security prison located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China. The prison was built in 1958 with aid from the Soviet Union and is the only prison belonging to China's Ministry of Public Security. The Ministry of Justice operates other non-military prisons. Political prisoners have been incarcerated in Qincheng, among them participants in the Chinese democracy movement and Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Famous former inmates include Li Rui, Jiang Qing, Yuan Geng, Bao Tong, Dai Qing, as well as Tibetan figures such as the 10th Panchen Lama Choekyi Gyaltsen and Phuntsok Wangyal.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Capacity

—

Current population

—

Occupancy

—

Year opened

1958

Operational

Figures from official sources · verified 6 Jul 2026 · methodology

Facility profile

Population held

mixed

Opened

1958

Region

Beijing

Security level

Maximum

Death-row facility

No

Conditions

Holds senior officials convicted of corruption and high-profile political prisoners. Conditions reportedly better than ordinary prisons but with strict isolation rules.

Visiting

Highly restricted; family visits typically denied or limited to once monthly for high-profile inmates.

Mailing

Strictly screened; political content censored.

Practical info

Foreign-consular access for non-PRC nationals subject to bilateral practice.

Known issues

No independent international monitoring access. Detentions of dissidents Liu Xia and Bao Tong are documented.

Notable inmates

  • Wu Jiaxiang
    1955 · writer

    Wu Jiaxiang (simplified Chinese: 吴稼祥; traditional Chinese: 吳稼祥; pinyin: Wú Jiàxiáng; born 7 October 1955) is a Chinese scholar and writer who held various political roles in the Chinese government.

  • Ye Duyi
    Ye Duyi
    1912–2004 · politician

    Ye Duyi (Chinese: 叶笃义; January 1912 – February 19, 2004) was a Chinese social activist, publisher, and politician.

  • Bao Tong
    Bao Tong
    1932–2022 · politician

    Bao Tong (Chinese: 鲍彤; 5 November 1932 – 9 November 2022) was a Chinese writer and activist.

  • Zhou Yongkang
    Zhou Yongkang
    1942 · politician

    Zhou Yongkang (Chinese: 周永康; born December 3, 1942) is a former senior leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

  • Chen Wei
    1969 · writer

    Chen Wei (Chinese: 陈卫; pinyin: Chén Wèi; born 21 February 1969) is a Chinese dissident and human rights activist.

  • Shi Zhe
    1905–1998 · translator

    Shi Zhe (Chinese: 師哲) (June 30, 1905 – August 17, 1998) was a Chinese Communist military officer, diplomat, translator and interpreter.

  • Chen Boda
    1904–1989 · politician
  • Wang Guangmei
    Wang Guangmei
    1921–2006 · politician

    Wang Guangmei (Chinese: 王光美; pinyin: Wáng Guāngměi; Wade–Giles: Wang Kuang-mei; 26 September 1921 – 13 October 2006) was a Chinese politician, philanthropist and the wife of Liu Shaoqi, who served as the spouse of the President of the People's Republic of China from 1959 to 1968.

  • Bo Xilai
    Bo Xilai
    1949 · politician

    Bo Xilai (Chinese: 薄熙来; pinyin: Bó Xīlái; born 3 July 1949) is a Chinese former politician who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges.

Showing 9 of 12. Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.

Contact & address

Changping District, Beijing 102200

No public contact details available.

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

5/100
Low concern5/100
Overcrowding
0/30
Oversight reports
0/30
Structural flags
5/15
Death signals
0/15
Conditions text
0/10

What the score is responding to:

  • · Substantial documented known-issues record

This facility scores 5. The national average across 1,005 scored China facilities is 3 — 2 points above national average.

Related facilities

All in China →

Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.

Compared to other facilities in China

1004 peers
Conditions risk scorethis: 5/100 · peers avg: 0/100 (+Infinity%)

Higher risk than 100% of peer facilities in China.

Data completeness

80%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources

Cite this page

Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.

APA
World Prisons. (2026). Qincheng Prison. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/qincheng
Chicago
"Qincheng Prison." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/qincheng.
BibTeX
@misc{worldprisons-qincheng,
  author = {{World Prisons}},
  title = {Qincheng Prison},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/qincheng},
  urldate = {2026-10-20}
}