(Shanghai — August 23, 2025) After being held in detention for more than four years, Chinese online dissident Ruan Xiaohuan, who anonymously ran the “Program Think” blog, was formally transferred from a detention center to Tilanqiao Prison in Shanghai at the end of July. The prison is widely known for housing inmates in politically sensitive cases.
Conditions at Tilanqiao Prison
“He is now in Tilanqiao Prison, sleeping on a single bed in an eight-person room, with air conditioning and fans, and the food has also improved.” His wife, Bei Zhenying, recently shared on social platform X (formerly Twitter).
Ms. Bei also revealed that the family’s application for a visit in August had been approved, and she is expected to have her first meeting with her husband this Friday (August 22).
Standard Transfer Procedures and Labor Assignments
Observers familiar with China’s prison system said Ruan’s transfer process follows standard procedures: after leaving a detention center, inmates usually undergo a month-long “prison entry training,” including military-style discipline training. Afterward, they are assigned to labor teams, working in factories or workshops during the day, and living on a relatively regular schedule. Families are also allowed to deposit higher monthly allowances than the 300 yuan limit in detention centers.
Harsh Detention Experience and Mental Resilience
In contrast, Ruan’s nearly four years in the Yangpu District Detention Center were described as a dual suffering, both mental and physical. Nevertheless, his health is said to be “in fair condition so far.” He reportedly used his limited free time to exercise and read. According to Bei Zhenying, “he has read almost every book he could borrow.”
Who Is Ruan Xiaohuan?
Ruan Xiaohuan, an engineer who once worked on the design of the information security system for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, held a strong reputation in tech circles. But he was better known as the anonymous blogger behind “Program Think,” an anonymous writer of political analysis, who exposes corruption, and provides guides on circumvention tools since 2009. His blog cultivated a wide range of underground readers inside the Great Firewall and helped countless Chinese netizens understand digital security and the concept of information freedom.
Arrest and Identity Exposure
After years of carefully concealing his identity, Ruan’s life abruptly ended on May 10, 2021.
That afternoon, the doorbell rang, and Ruan Xiaohuan and his wife thought the water delivery worker had arrived. As the door opened, several police officers suddenly rushed into their residence, pinned him to the ground, and swiftly took him away. Over the next 12 hours, more than ten officers conducted a thorough search of the home, telling Bei Zhenying that Ruan had been arrested on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.”
Sources said police had been monitoring Ruan as early as the beginning of 2021. Although his activities had always been anonymous, he was eventually traced to his real identity.
Sentencing and Appeal
In February 2023, a Chinese court sentenced him to seven years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power.” On December 13, 2024, the Shanghai High Court held a second trial that lasted just seven minutes, hastily announcing the verdict: the original judgment was upheld. To the authorities, this engineer’s writings and translations, touching on politics, society, and the top ranks of the CCP, had crossed the red line. To his supporters, he was merely revealing truths to the public with rational, clear language.
A Legacy of Thought and Resistance
In an earlier article, Ruan once quoted the words of philosopher Bertrand Russell to express his motivation for writing:
“What do I live for? It is the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and an unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.”
Now, these three passions are imprisoned within concrete and steel, and the conscience he once sought to awaken is facing the most severe scrutiny of this era.
Reported by Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid
