Tilanqiao Prison was initially built in 1901 as a prison for the Shanghai International Settlement and was controlled by foreigners. After 1949, it was turned over to the Chinese government and now it is run by the Public Security Bureau of China. It was the largest prison in East Asia throughout the first 40 or so years after it was built and was entitled the “Alcatraz of the Orient.” Multiple aspects of the early administration of Tilanqiao Prison have been modernized and deeply influenced by modern Western ideas of penal systems such as natural rights, humanity, education, and equality. Nowadays, rehabilitation and reform are highly emphasized in prisons.