Li Zhi

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For other uses, see Nina Li Chi.

Li Zhi (Chinese: 李贄/李贽 Pinyin:Lǐ Zhì) (1527-1602) was a prominent Chinese philosopher, historian and writer in the late Ming dynasty. He was born in Jinjiang, Fujian province, the descendant of a Persian merchant. He is also often referred to by his hao (pseudonym) Zhuówú (卓吾). His philosophy was based upon the Buddhist idea of immediate enlightenment and Confucianism. Strongly disagreeing with assimilating oneself to conventional behavior, Li Zhi tried to spread his ideas. However, he was ultimately jailed for his attempt to spread "dangerous ideas." He commited suicide in prison in 1602.

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Li Zhi was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment in December 2003 in China for trying to join the China Democratic Party, which is a banned organization in China, and for criticizing corruption. It is alleged that part of the evidence against him, namely details of his e-mail account, was provided by the Hong Kong subsidiary of the Internet company Yahoo! to the Chinese authorities. Other cases involving political prisoners in the People's Republic of China where information had been provided by Yahoo! are Shi Tao and Jiang Lijun.