James Kynge

When I was a journalist based in Beijing, like many other journalists, you kind of go there.

You're obviously not allowed in, but you can sort of go to the perimeter and see if you can see anything interesting happening.

Of course, you can't.

But this is a fascinating place.

If we look at who is in this prison, Chinchong, we can see some interesting things about how the Chinese Communist Party works.

The first is that if you are a former official of considerable status, you get better treatment in the prison than normal people who are sentenced there.

So there is a famous inmate in the prison right now called Bo Xilai.

He is a former Politburo member.

And at one point in Chinese politics, people were wondering whether Bo Xilai would be the successor as president.

In other words, he was a rival of Xi Jinping in some people's minds for the top job.

According to reports, Bo Xilai is held in fairly comfortable conditions in Chincheng prison.

He's got a cell of around 20 square meters.

It's got an ensuite toilet.

Unlike typical inmates who have to wear standard prison fatigues, as a high-ranking official, he's often permitted to wear his own clothing, including like a Western-style suit.

He can watch TV, normally between, you know, specific times of the day, like two o'clock in the afternoon till nine in the evening.

Apparently, senior Chinese Communist Party officials also have access to better quality food.

They can have milk at breakfast and they're allowed to walk in the prison grounds, sometimes alone.

They're allowed to receive visits from family members.

So, you know, it's not it's not so draconian.

That's if you're a very senior official.