DELICATE CARVING: A prisoner learns the jade carving in Qingpu Prison in Shanghai (COURTESY OF QINGPU PRISON)

Cao Peng, a famous conductor invited to be a consultant to the musical, was moved to tears, too. "The performance was stunning," said Cao. "Here we heard the true voices of the prisoners. The police in the prison did great work, giving the prisoners such a unique channel to express these thoughts."

A senior police officer in the prison who initially didn't think much of the musical was totally won over after seeing the performance.

"I used to think the only way to educate them was to organize them together and teach," said the officer. "But art is definitely a better way, and we can obviously see the change."

Cong Xiaogang (pseudonym), an actor in the musical, was imprisoned in 2009 for robbery at the age of 19. At first, after being cast in a role, he couldn't sing in tune. He then borrowed an electronic keyboard from the police and practiced over and over again, putting himself in the mindset of the role he was portraying.

The police noticed a change. "He used to be an irritable person," according to one officer. "It seemed he was always ready to fight with other people. But after he joined the musical and started rehearsing, his eyes became a lot more tender."

In the last scene of the musical, the prisoners and police sing together: "Friends, what is freedom? It is not walls without an iron net. It is not windows without bars. It is surpassing temptations and discovering the light of kindness."

The power of art

This is just one of Qingpu Prison's efforts to use the fine arts for reeducation.

In April 1995, a jade-carving class was established in the prison to train the prisoners in carving these precious stones. Among the more than 200 released convicts that received this training, none have gone on to commit repeat criminal offenses.

Some found jobs in jade-carving factories where the salary is more than 4,000 yuan ($650) per month, and some have started their own jade-carving workshops where monthly income surpasses 20,000 yuan ($3,255).

Wang Xiao (pseudonym), who had studied jade carving for five years at the prison and made almost 100 jade statues before his release, stunned the employer of a jewelry company with his elegant skills and was immediately hired.

Now Wang has opened his own jade store. "Only by learning can you change your fate," Wang told the convicts back at the prison, when he went to share his own experience.

Following the jade-carving training, more artistic skills such as embroidery and bamboo-carving were introduced. In 2011, the New Voice Art Group choir was formed by prisoners.

"We invite music teachers to guide them in singing and playing musical instruments, and hope they can learn to let their new voices be heard in this group," said Song of the prison.

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