Deng Pufang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deng Pufang (simplified Chinese: 邓朴方; traditional Chinese: 鄧樸方; pinyin: Dèng Pǔfāng) (born 16 April 1944) is the first son of former China's Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.[1] He is mostly known for being crippled by the Red guards, and becoming a paralyzed handicap. He spent the remainder of his life dedicated to improving handicap people's rights.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Deng Pufang was born to Deng Xiaoping and Zhuo Lin, his third wife. He is considered a member of the Crown Prince Party.
[edit] Handicapping incident
During the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping and his family were targeted by Mao Zedong. Xiaoping was branded as a capitalist roader.[1] In one session he was forced to kneel to the ground with his arm stretched out behind him and over his head. His family watched as the guards forced him to confess to capitalist ways of thinking.[3]
Mao's Red Guards then imprisoned Deng Pufang. He was tortured and thrown out of the window of a three-story building at Beijing University in 1968.[3][2][1][4] Though some sources claimed he may have fell or jumped out of the window himself.[3] He was rushed to the hospital but was denied admission, because he was the son of a capitalist. By the time he reached another clinic, he was paralyzed.[3]
His back was broken, and he has since been confined to a wheelchair, becoming a paraplegic.[2][1]
With regard to his views on the Cultural Revolution, Deng Pufang once said, "The generation of the Cultural Revolution is in no sense a lost generation, as is often said. Quite to the contrary. All those who passed through that testing have been toughened. These people think a great deal, and have their own ideas. They are firm in their convictions, and show initiative. To my way of thinking this generation represents a trump card for China and for the reforms which they have set in motion" [5]
[edit] Post handicapping work
In 1984 Deng Pufang established the China Welfare Fund for the Disabled. Then he founded and became the chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation in 1988.[1] In 1987 he was the prime mover behind a national survey for people with disability.[1] In 1990 he led to the formation of the Chinese Rehabilitation and Research Association for the Mentally Disabled. In 1991 legislations were passed to recognize people with mental illnesses could also be included with the people suffering disability.[1]
He was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize in December 2003 for his work in protecting the rights of disabled people in China.
The International Paralympic Committee awarded Deng the "Paralympic Order" during their November 2005 meeting in Beijing.[6]
This is the first year the award was offered to one recipient only; in the past, gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Pearson, Veronica. Royal College of Psychiatrists. [1995] (1995). RCPsych Publications. ISBN:0902241745. pg 88
- ^ a b c Tenberken, Sabriye. My Path Leads to Tibet: The Inspiring Story of How One Young Blind Woman. [2003] (2003). Arcade Publishing. ISBN:1559706589. pg 127.
- ^ a b c d Stewart, Whitney. [2001] (2001). Deng Xiaoping: Leader in a Changing China. Twenty-First Century Books. ISBN:082254962X. pg 72
- ^ Barton, Len. Integration: Myth Or Reality?. [1989] (1989) Routledge. ISBN:1850006156. pg 172.
- ^ Libération, 2 September 1985.
- ^ Xinhuanet. "Xinhuanet." China's Deng Pufang wins IPC top award. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
