A supermarket opened Thursday in Qiongshan Prison in China's southern-most province of Hainan, where prisoners are allowed to buy goods freely.

The supermarket is built in an area of 150 square meters and has over 350 kinds of goods including food, daily necessities, sporting goods and books. Fingerprint identification machines are used instead of cash or credit cards.

Each prisoner has their own account number to pay for the goods. Their relatives can also buy things when visiting the prisoners, said the manager.

The prison has set up a special department to manage the supermarket and set prices.

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