Twenty-six inmates in Chongqing have been permitted to make Lunar New Year calls to their wives, who are also inmates at a local women's prison, since Sunday evening.

Zhang Dashan, an alias, an inmate in Yongchuan Prison, rang his wife, who is in the women's prison in Chongqing on Sunday evening.

Both spouses have been imprisoned since 2010 and have not heard each other's voices in that time.

According to prison rules, inmates can have visits from relatives and make a five-minute call once a month on average. However, when both husband and wife are imprisoned, the rules are stricter. Letters to and from prisoners are unlimited.

However, Zhang and his wife are nearly illiterate and are unable to write or read letters. They only get to hear about each other when their daughter visits and passes messages between her parents.

Yongchuan Prison only takes male inmates and the women's prison is only for females. The two prisons work together to build solid relationship ties for inmates, aiming to foster positive thoughts for their futures.

Lu Yang contributed to this story.