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on the box of decorations to read the letter.

LABOUR

The Factory is where Tian spends most of her time assembling goods on a production line.

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In 2012, a box of Halloween decorations was purchased at a Kmart in the United States by a woman named Julie Keith. Inside the box was found a letter written by a labour camp prisoner from Masanjia Labor Camp in Shenyang, China.

The letter sparked a media frenzy around the world which helped lead to the eventual closure of the Masanjia camp and the Chinese government’s claim that the labour camp system would be abolished.

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Importing goods made in prisons is illegal in the US and considered unethical worldwide, so many Chinese labour camps manufacture goods under a different name so that they can avoid customs regulations. This means that products manufactured in the camps can still find their way into our homes.

In 2009 at least $700 million was earned by only 99 of the 320 confirmed re-education camps. At the height of production at Masanjia, it was reportedly earning $16 million a year.

Here are some examples of common goods that can be made in labour camps:

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