As one of the world's oldest civilizations, China has a long history of slavery. Slaves were made of war captives and kidnapping victims. People also sold themselves into slavery to satisfy debts. Some sold their wives and children instead.

Slaves worked as household servants, in agriculture and construction, and as government bureaucrats. Some families adopted their slaves. In some cases, slaves even inherited wealth from their masters.

The ruler Wang Mang abolished slavery in China in 17 A.D., but it was restored when he lost power six years later. Slavery was not officially abolished until 1910, and there continue to be problems. In the 1920s and 1930s, young girls (mui tsai) were traded and enslaved as prostitutes. After the communist revolution, the government established concentration camps called laogai. Most of the people imprisoned there are political prisoners. Survivors of the camps say they were forced to work as slave laborers.

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