A glimpse inside a storied 120-year-old lockup

Located not far from the Huangpu River on the North Bund in Shanghai, Tilanqiao Prison, built in 1901, has so many stories and rumors that local residents never get tired of talking about it.

These tales are becoming trendy conversation pieces once again, as the prison, dubbed the "No 1 prison in the Far East", will be repurposed following the relocation of inmates.

Having served for more than a century, most of the prison buildings there are squat, and the cells have no windows. All the cells are located on one side of a building, with the only windows located on the other side. There are two corridors in the middle.