China Business Uncovered Podcast #9: Exposing China’s Youth Correction Camps

Program description:

China Business Uncovered takes listeners inside China’s corporate world through the eyes of reporters who investigate it firsthand.

Featuring open conversations with Caixin journalists, each episode breaks down the most complex developments inside Chinese businesses. Tune in to understand how critical stories are covered, what’s really happening beneath the surface, and why it matters for businesses and investors operating in and around China.

Recorded in Mandarin and produced in English with the help of AI, China Business Uncovered brings Caixin’s in-depth investigative reporting to a global audience.

Episode intro:

For years, so-called youth correctional institutions and “growth camps” have operated across China, marketing themselves to families struggling with mental health issues, school refusal, teenage relationships and parent-child conflict.

Some charge desperate parents hundreds of thousands of yuan, while referring students between programs for hefty commissions.

But students who were put through the programs told Caixin that “intervention” involved forced physical training, beatings, psychological abuse and restricted contact with the outside world.

In this episode of China Business Uncovered, host Han Wei speaks with Caixin reporter Fan Qiaojia about how these institutions turn parental anxiety into business, why some families keep paying, and how regulatory gaps have allowed the industry to survive repeated scandals and crackdowns.

Chapters:

(02:55) Young victims emerge

(08:32) A lucrative referral network

(12:10) How camps take advantage of dysfunctional families

(18:02) Why parents turn to unregulated programs

(21:24) Regulatory gaps leave victims nowhere to turn

This episode of China Business Uncovered was based on this story:

In Depth: The Dark Side Behind China’s Youth ‘Correction’ Industry

Produced by Kelsey Cheng, Han Wei and Du Bohan.

Unlock exclusive discounts with a Caixin group subscription — ideal for teams and organizations.

Save an extra $50. Introductory offer for new readers. Subscribe now.