The Taiwan Province National Security Council New Lives Correction Center, known as New Life Correction Center, was established on April 1st, 1951 in Neihu district, Taipei. The same year, on April 17th, it migrated to Taitung Countr’s Green Island. On July 1st, 1958, due to the change of policies, the Taiwan Province National Security Council New Life Correction Center was transformed to Taiwan Garrison Command, the New Life Correction Center then became Taiwan Garrison Command New Life Correction Center. In August 1st, 1970, the migrated Center was renamed Taiwan Garrison Green Island Command, and New Life Correction Center had then become part of a history.
History
editThe New Life Correction Center was known as the “New Life Corps” situated in the Neihu suburb of Taipei City. On February 1st, 1950, the Taiwan Province National Security Council had established a “New Life Correction Corps'' in Taipei City’s Guangzhou Street Police School, and had moved the Corps to Neihu, taking responsibility for discipline education for communist rebels captured by the battles that took place in Kinmen Islands and Dengbu Island. Later on, due to the increasing number of criminals, the duties became even heavier. On April 1st, 1951, staff members were officially increased, and the place was then renamed as “New Life Correction Center.”
On April 17th, 1951, considering that the Green Island was remote, isolated in the vast ocean, and had a much less complex environment, it was suitable for discipline education. Therefore, the New Life Correction Center was moved to the northeastern part of Green Island, at the downstream of Liu-Ma river, which was originally known as The Flaming Island (the previous name of Green Island) Shelter during the Japanese colonization. In the same year, on May 17th, criminals from the Neihu New Life Corps and No. 3, Ching-Dao East Road Military Justice Department Detention Center, which contained nearly a thousand rebels and criminals, were moved to Green Island. In 1962, the Taiyuan Prison affiliated to the Ministry of National Defense was established, the institution had then reinforced a specialized imprisonment policy for rebels, according to which these criminals were moved to the Taiyuan Discipline Prison. On August 1st, 1970, the New Life Correction Center was transformed to Taiwan Garrison Green Command, and the New Life Correction Center had then walked into history.
System Structure
editThe Green Island New Life Correction Center had placed one Colonel President to take charge in all Center’s matters. There was also the Vice President and Political Director. At the headquarters were the Political Section, First Group, Second Group, Third Group, Infirmary, and Service team. Outside of the headquarters were the First Brigade, Second Brigade, and Third Brigade. Each brigade contained four squadrons, which in total included 12 squadrons. The Vice President and the three leaders from the three brigades were in charge of administrative affairs, and each brigade had four squadron leaders: each squadron had two section leaders, and each section had three classes. The role of class leaders were taken by New Lives, the political criminals. The political education was the responsibility of the Political Director from the Political Section, and each brigade and squadron had selected their own instructors. A squadron was divided into three sections, the first two classes were formed as the first section, while the third and fourth classes together made the second section, and the fifth and sixth together being the third section. Each section had established its own political administrator; the leaders of each section were just like the class leader, roles that were taken by New Lives.
Campsite Architecture
editThe New Life Correction Center’s first dormitories were located at the west corner of Liu-Ma river, the Command and the three brigades were assigned to wooden houses. The shape of each brigade’s dormitory was formed like a letter E with an extra horizontal line; there were four horizontal spaces which were made into four squadron bedrooms; in front of the E letter dormitory was a smaller dormitory for the command of the brigade. Three brigades were lined in the shape of a ㄇ, with the second brigade in the middle, below the Si-wei Hill, leaning against the hill and facing the ocean. On the east was the first brigade, on the west the third, and the Command was right across the second brigade, turning its back against the sea and facing the hills, supervising the three brigades. On the west of the Command was the entrance of “New Life’s Home”; once exited the east gate was “the Gate of Revolution.” All around them was this “Great Wall” built by the coral stones collected by the political criminals at the seaside.
In 1952, the campsite had started to expand to its west, a sports field was established (to date, it is known as the plaza in front of the Zhuang-Jing campsite). In 1953, a swimming pool (located near Liu-Ma river) was built; in 1954, Gongguan spouses’ dormitories were constructed (where The Coast Guard Administration Officer Dormitories is nowadays), and they had established a Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall right behind the now CKS bronze sculpture. In 1955, the wall around the west campsite was finalized (the wall of Zhuang-Jing campsite), and in 1962, a new command office was built, which was used as the latest Command (it is situated in today’s Zhuang-Jing Campsite Infirmary). In other words, in the 1960s, the government had successfully migrated the administrative center to the place we now know as Zhuang-Jing campsite today.
New Life
editThe New Life Correction Center called political criminals “New Life,” which means that once the criminals received discipline education, having gone through thought reform, they would be able to correct themselves with full heart and to welcome their new lives.Tthey were expected to become an anti-communist in order to fulfill the third mission from the National Revolution Army. At the peak of the New Life Correction Center, each squadron contained about 135 members, except that there were no 8th squadron. On top of the female squadron, which included about 90 members, there were a total of 1,575 members, most of whom were young men and women aged between 25 to 30.
Discipline Education
editThe New Life Correction Center is operated by military management system. It didn’t allow any opposing opinions or behaviors; its education focused on thought reform, instilling Three Principles of the People to New Lives, criticizing the idea of communism. Its subjects included the Legacy of the Father of Nation, Leader’s Words and Deeds, Criticism of Communism, Violence of Communist Bandits, the History of the Soviet Invasion of China, and more. Each New Life was assigned a notebook, and the notes were inspected once every month, while a regular exam was also conducted. Regarding discipline, the center mainly focused on observing New Lives’ thoughts and actions: group discussions were conducted by political officers three times a week. On the other hand, physical labors and strenuous production are part of the major parts of education. For example, New Lives would have to collect coral stones at the nearby seaside, piling about 3 meters high and 1.5 meters wide of stone wall around the campsite; meanwhile, they also had to construct Room of Strenuous Production. In order to resolve issues of food distribution for almost two thousand sergeants and New Lives. Having brigades as bases and putting together a production unit, renting lands from civilians to plant vegetables, and keeping swines, chicken, and ducks. Each New Life squadron cross-selected two food distribution members, who were responsible to take care of the entire squadron’s meals. To prepare proper ingredients, these members followed the lead of an officer to walk out of the camp and bought fish, meat, non staple food, and farm produce from civilians, which created a crucial way for New Lives to interact with the outside world.