Talk:Ankang (asylum)

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[edit] Chinese full name

On a quick websearch, all I can find for the full name of this institution is 安康医院, which would simply be Ankang (peace-health) Hospital. I don't know if it's formally a shortening of "...for the mentally ill" (as stated in the first Guardian article) but if it is I couldn't find the full Chinese name listed at any news articles. Perhaps someone who knows more Chinese than me can figure that out. Rigadoun (talk) 02:05, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

I am not sure actually how notable the expression is, but someone seeing the Guardian article [on Wang Wanxing] thought Ankang should have an article. I performed a Gsearch, which yielded a number of hits directly for hospital websites, other directory, informational and propaganda sites, and also articles from Falun Gong which allege they are centres of oppression and torture, so the term is in official usage, and a vaild category of institution. I believe you are correct that 'Ankang hospital' should be taken as implied in 'Ankang', which is an acceptable abbreviation in Chinese. Also note that in Chinese culture, "insanity" may still be taboo, and I believe it is a euphemism which they like to employ in the political climate of psychiatric abuse, too. Ohconfucius 03:51, 13 October 2007 (UTC) edited Ohconfucius 04:07, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

I've never seen this term used in Chinese. There seems to be only the two Guardian pieces to illustrate the statements in the article. Are you sure it's actually a term used in this sense in Chinese? --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 03:54, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

A google search discloses that 北京安康医院 is the name of a specific hospital - Beijing being the location, "Ankang" being the name, and Hospital being the institution.

I'm pretty sure the Guardian writers misinterpreted the name - read too much into it, so to speak. 安康 certainly is not a general term or euphemism, it seems.

The only other way that Ankang is used on Google seems to be as the name of a city in Shaanxi.

The good news, however, is that the Beijing Ankang Hospital seems to be fairly notable in itself: see zh:北京安康医院. I propose to move this article to Beijing Ankang Hospital, and rejig the contents to be specific to that hospital (which is the one referred to in the Wang Wanxing article). --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 04:00, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I get it now. There is a system of police-psychiatric hospitals (a bit like prison-hospitals in Western countries) operated in various cities in China. All of them are called "Ankang" - e.g. Beijing Ankang Hospital, Hangzhou Ankang Hospital, etc.

Not all "Ankang" hospitals are prison-hospitals, though. This one seems to be a normal psychiatric hospital. See also Jinan Ankang Hospital. --PalaceGuard008 (Talk) 04:09, 13 October 2007 (UTC)