China · Shanghai · Shanghai
Tilanqiao Prison
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date.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 Tilanqiao Prison
Step-by-step guidance using the China system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Difference engine via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by WQL via Wikimedia Commons (GFDL)
Photo by Siyuwj via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Siyuwj via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Siyuwj via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo by Unknown authorUnknown author via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Originally the British-built 'Ward Road Gaol'. One of China's largest and oldest prisons; holds foreign nationals and long-sentence inmates.
Capacity
8,000
Current population
—
Occupancy
—
Year opened
1903
Operational
Figures from official sources · verified 6 Jul 2026 · methodology
Facility profile
Population held
male
Opened
1903
Region
Shanghai
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
Holds foreign nationals in dedicated section; non-foreign Chinese long-sentence prisoners housed separately.
Visiting
Monthly family visit; pre-approval required from the prison administration.
Mailing
Mail screened; outgoing limited to two letters per month.
Practical info
Consular visits for foreign nationals arranged via embassy/consulate.
Known issues
Limited transparency; foreign consular access has been granted in select cases.
Notable inmates
- Wang Xiaohe1924–1948 · political activist
Lin Zhao1932–1968 · poetLin Zhao (Chinese: ææ; 23 January 1932 â 29 April 1968), born Peng Lingzhao (å½ä»¤æ), was a prominent Chinese dissident who was imprisoned and later executed by gunshot by the People's Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution for her criticism of Mao Zedong's policies.
Source: Wikidata + Wikipedia.
Contact & address
No public contact details available.
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
- Overcrowding
- 0/30
- Oversight reports
- 0/30
- Structural flags
- 0/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 0/10
This facility scores 0. The national average across 1,005 scored China facilities is 3 — 3 points below national average.
Related facilities
Same country, matched on type + security level where possible.
- Qincheng PrisonBeijingMaximumMinistry of Public Security
- Meizhou Prison
- Chong Zhou Jian Yu
- Heng Tie Gong An Kan Shou Suo
- Baiyin Prison
- Qiang Zhi Jie Du Suo
Compared to other facilities in China
1004 peersHigher risk than 0% of peer facilities in China.
Data completeness
86%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- Tilanqiao Prison — Wikipedia
- Dui Hua Foundation — Prisoner Updates
- Dui Hua Foundation — Prisoner Updates
- Dui Hua Foundation — Prisoner Updates
- Prisoner Updates -- Dui Hua Foundation — The Dui Hua Foundation
- Dui Hua Foundation — Dui Hua Foundation
- Wikidata (Q36102)
- Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.
Cite this page
Under CC-BY-4.0. Include the URL and access date; the site is a living reference and entries can change.
World Prisons. (2026). Tilanqiao Prison. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://worldprisons.com/prisons/tilanqiao
"Tilanqiao Prison." World Prisons. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://worldprisons.com/prisons/tilanqiao.
@misc{worldprisons-tilanqiao,
author = {{World Prisons}},
title = {Tilanqiao Prison},
year = {2026},
url = {https://worldprisons.com/prisons/tilanqiao},
urldate = {2026-10-20}
}