Print this Email this

Human Rights Defenders in Chinese history

17 August 2008, 05:39PM

Throughout history, there have been Chinese people who have stood out as supporters of the values and standards that we now identify with human rights.

The following list provides an illustration of the role played by some key figures and some starting points for research. For some websites with additional details, see the links below.

  • Zhang Pengjun (“PC Chang”, 1892-1957) the diplomat who was one of the key people involved in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As a result of his contributions, this statement of universal rights draws on Confucian social teaching. The Confucian concept of ren (benevolence, compassion, or humaneness) shaped the following words in italics from the first article of the Declaration: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”.
  • Mengzi (“Mencius”) (372-289 BCE) the Confucian scholar who taught that people had a right to protest against unjust rule and that everyone – both male and female- possesses value.
  • Queen Ma, (37-79) the Han empress who insisted that if members of her own family broke the law, they should be penalized just like anyone else, thus reflecting the Confucian ideal of governing with virtue.
  • Bao Gong, (999-1062) the Song dynasty judge who believed in upholding justice no matter how powerful the wrongdoer, thus becoming a symbol of justice and fairness.
  • Wang Yangming (1472–1529) the Ming dynasty official who believed that a universal moral law exists in every human being
  • Huang Zongxi, (1610-1695) the Ming official who wrote A Plan for the Prince , in which he declares that the world belongs to the people, condemns autocratic rule, and states that the emperor cannot decide what is right for the country without paying attention to gonglun – public opinion.
  • Li Juzhen (1763-1830) the Qing author who criticized footbinding in her work Flowers in the Mirror, which describes a world where it is men who bind their feet, menstruate and bear children.
  • Lin Zexu (1785-1850), the Qing scholar and diplomat who challenged British intrusion into China by confiscating and burning crates of British opium
  • Gao Yihan (1884-1968), the academic who argued for human rights during the period of the New Culture Movement and May Fourth Movement, stating that that rights like freedom of speech were meaningless if people did not have enough to eat, and that the state exists for people: protecting people’s rights and freedoms was one of the central purposes of the state.

To find out about contemporary human rights defenders in China, such as Wei Jingsheng, Hu Jia and Yang Tongyan, see case studies of human rights defenders on the “Uncensor” website as well as case studies in Amnesty International curriculum resources on China - see the section "Human rights in China today: exploring some key issues".

See also:

Sorry commenting is no longer available on this page.