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Beijing Reeducation Center First to Have Flowers in Every Room

Several hundred pots of fresh flowers have been distributed to the dormitories at a women's reeducation-through-labor center in Beijing. An official of the city bureau that controls the center said this was the first time it had provided flowers for such inmates. The potted plants, including azaleas and Chinese flowering crabapples, were well received by the women, who were said to be still immersed in the happiness brought by the Spring Festival.

The official said the new measure of encouraging the women to tend flowers was helpful in fostering their sense of care and responsibility, their outlook on life and providing the satisfaction of beautifying the center's environment. In China, those who commit misdemeanors are often sent to a reeducation-through-labor center instead of a conventional prison.