Deng Pufang () (born 16 April 1944) is a Chinese politician, who is the eldest son of former Chinese

paramount leader Paramount leader () is an informal term for the most important Supreme leader, political figure in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The paramount leader typically controls the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Liberatio ...

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping also Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Teng Hsiao-p'ing; born Xiansheng (). (22 August 190419 February 1997) was a Chinese statesman, revolutionary, and political theorist who served as the paramount leader of the People's R ...

.Pearson, Veronica. Royal College of Psychiatrists. 995(1995). RCPsych Publications. . p. 88 He is mostly known for being injured during the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

by the

Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

and becoming a

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...

. He has since dedicated his life to improving the rights of people with disabilities.

Biography

Deng Pufang was born to

and Zhuo Lin, in Yuntoudi Village, Mataian Town, Liao County,

Jinzhong Jinzhong, formerly Yuci, is a prefecture-level city in east central Shanxi province of the People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei province to the east. As of the 2020 census, its total population was 3,379,498 inhabitants of whom 1,226,61 ...

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

. The name "Pufang" was given to him by Liu Bocheng, in the sense of "purity and squareness". As a young boy, he attended the Beijing 13 Middle School. In 1962, he enrolled in the Department of Technical Physics of

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

and joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

in September 1965. During the

, Deng Xiaoping and his family were targeted by

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

. He 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 students forced him to confess to

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

ways of thinking.Stewart, Whitney. (2001). Deng Xiaoping: Leader in a Changing China. Twenty-First Century Books. p. 72 Mao's

then imprisoned Deng Pufang. He was tortured and thrown out of the window of a three-story building at

in 1968. His back broken, he was rushed to the hospital, but was denied admission. By the time he reached another clinic, he was paralyzed. He remains a

, using a wheelchair. 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." It was in 1975 that Deng was given the opportunity to work, serving in the Administrative and Economic Management Department of the General Office of the Central Military Commission. In 1984, he established and became a vice president of the China Welfare Fund for the Disabled as a vice-ministerial cadre at the age of 40; the following year, he was promoted to president of the foundation; and since 2006, he has been the president of the foundation. He also 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 disabilities. Deng also visited the United States to publicize the challenges of disabled people in China and learn about relevant practices in the United States. In 1990, he led the formation of the Chinese Rehabilitation and Research Association for the Mentally Disabled. In 1991, legislation was passed to recognize

mental illness A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness, a mental health condition, or a psychiatric disability, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. A mental disorder is ...

as a disability. He was awarded the United Nations Human Rights Prize in December 2003 for his work in protecting the rights of individuals with disability in China. In March 2008, at the first session of the Eleventh National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

(CPPCC), Deng Pufang was elected Vice Chairperson of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. At the Fifth National Congress of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, held in November of the same year, he was elected Honorary Chairman of the Bureau. Deng also helped organize the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the executive president of the Beijing Organizing Committee.Official Website of the Beijing Olympics
" In September 2023, at the age of 79, Deng Pufang stepped down as Honorary Chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

References

External links

Deng Pufang's Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deng, Pufang 1944 births Living people Chinese disability rights activists Chinese torture victims Politicians from Jinzhong Chinese politicians with disabilities Politicians with paraplegia People's Republic of China politicians from Shanxi Vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Victims of the Cultural Revolution Family of Deng Xiaoping Recipients of the Olympic Order Chinese Communist Party politicians from Shanxi Chinese politicians of Hakka descent Children of national leaders of China Activists with disabilities Alternates of the 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Alternates of the 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Members of the Standing Committee of the 10th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Chinese wheelchair users

Biography

See also

References

External links