Life of Re-Education Through Labor

On the evening of September 28th, I reported to the local police station as scheduled. The chief of the station said that they would not be smelting iron tonight and suggested I rest there for a while as they had another assignment for me. Shortly after, a policeman came with a pair of handcuffs, cuffed me, and said that I was disobedient and would be sent for re-education through labor. I was among the first batch of “experiencers” of the system of re-education through labor in the country. It was said that those undergoing re-education through labor were not criminals, there was no fixed term, and they could go home once they were rehabilitated. Therefore, actively striving for improvement was a prerequisite for regaining personal freedom. The policeman escorted me onto a rickshaw and we headed straight for the Wanshou Pavilion shelter, where bamboo bunk beds had already been arranged. Two days later, we were taken to Mount Fenghuang in the suburbs to participate in steel-making work. Those with good physical strength were grouped to go up the mountain to cut wood to fill the hunger of the blast furnaces, while I, considered weak and sickly, was given a small hammer and spent the entire day and night hitting ores to “launch satellites.” Unfortunately, there were few ores on Mount Fenghuang, and within 4 or 5 days, we were transferred to Mount Xiaohe. While selecting ores, a fragment of ore flew into my left eye by accident, causing immediate bleeding, swelling, and excruciating pain. However, there were no medical facilities in the mining area, so the administrator had to send me to the prisoner infirmary of the provincial second prison for treatment.