Deng Pufang
Encyclopedia
Deng Pufang (born 16 April 1944 in Zuoquan
, Jinzhong
, Shanxi
) is the first son of former China
's Paramount leader
Deng Xiaoping
. He is mostly known for being crippled by the Red Guards
, and becoming a paraplegic. He has since dedicated his life to improving the rights of handicapped
people.
and Zhuo Lin
, his third wife. He is considered a member of the Crown Prince Party
.
, Deng Xiaoping and his family were targeted by Mao Zedong
. Xiaoping was branded as a capitalist roader
. 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.
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, though some sources claimed he may have fallen or jumped out of the window himself. 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.
His back was broken, and he has since used a wheelchair, becoming a paraplegic.
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."
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
.
This is the first year the award was offered to one recipient only; in the past, gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded.
Deng also helped organize the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the Executive President of the Beijing Organizing Committee.
Zuoquan County
Zuoquan County is a county of Shanxi, China. It is under the administration of Jinzhong city.-References:*...
, Jinzhong
Jinzhong
Jinzhong is a prefecture-level city with 3,249,425 inhabitants at the 2010 census in east central Shanxi province of the People's Republic of China.-Administrative divisions:...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
) is the first son of former China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's Paramount leader
Paramount leader
Paramount leader literally "the highest leader of the party and the state ", in modern Chinese political science, unofficially refers to the political leader of the People's Republic of China....
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
. He is mostly known for being crippled by the Red Guards
Red Guards (China)
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
, and becoming a paraplegic. He has since dedicated his life to improving the rights of handicapped
Handicapped
Handicapped or handicap may refer to:*Handicapping, various methods of leveling a sport or game**Golf handicap, a sport-specific handicapping method**Go handicaps**Handicaps in shogi**Asian handicap, bookmakers technique to level odds...
people.
Biography
Deng Pufang was born to Deng XiaopingDeng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
and Zhuo Lin
Zhuo Lin
Zhuo Lin was the third wife, later the widow, of Deng Xiaoping.Born in Xuanwei, Qujing, Yunnan, Republic of China, as Pu Qiongying , the daughter of an industrialist, she became a member of the Communist Party of China in 1938.-Marriage:In 1939 she married Deng in front of Mao Zedong's cave...
, his third wife. He is considered a member of the Crown Prince Party
Crown Prince Party
In modern usage, the Crown Prince Party, or The Princelings, refers to the descendants of prominent and influential senior communist officials in the People's Republic of China. It is not a political party, but an informal, and often derogatory, categorization to signify those benefiting from...
.
Handicapping incident
During the Cultural RevolutionCultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
, Deng Xiaoping and his family were targeted by Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. Xiaoping was branded as a capitalist roader
Capitalist roader
In Maoist thought, a capitalist roader or is a person or group who demonstrates a marked tendency to bow to pressure from Bourgeois forces and subsequently attempts to pull the Revolution in a capitalist direction....
. 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
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
ways of thinking.
Mao's Red Guards
Red Guards (China)
Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China , who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution.-Origins:...
then imprisoned Deng Pufang. He was tortured and thrown out of the window of a three-story building at Beijing University in 1968, though some sources claimed he may have fallen or jumped out of the window himself. 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.
His back was broken, and he has since used a wheelchair, becoming a paraplegic.
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
Initiative
In political science, an initiative is a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote...
. To my way of thinking this generation represents a trump card
Trump Card
Trump Card was an American syndicated game show that aired from September 10, 1990 to September 6, 1991 and was hosted by Jimmy Cefalo. Debi Massey served as hostess and Chuck Reilly was the announcer. The show was produced by Telepictures Productions, Createl, Ltd., & Fiedler-Berlin Productions...
for China and for the reforms which they have set in motion."
Post-injury 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. In 1987 he was the prime mover behind a national survey for people with disability. 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.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
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...
awarded Deng the Paralympic Order during their November 2005 meeting in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
This is the first year the award was offered to one recipient only; in the past, gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded.
Deng also helped organize the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the Executive President of the Beijing Organizing Committee.