| Deng Pufang | |
|---|---|
| Vice Chairman of the CPPCC | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2008 Serving with Wang Gang, Liao Hui, Du Qinglin, Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai, Ma Mankei, Bai Lichen, Chen Kuiyuan, Abdul'ahat Abdulrixit, Li Zhaozhuo, Huang Mengfu, Tung Chee-hwa, Zhang Meiying, Zhang Yungming, Qian Yunlu, Sun Jiazhen, Li Jinhua, Zheng Mantong, Wan Gang, Lin Wenyi, Li Wuwei, Luo Fuhe, Chen Zhongxin, Wang Zhizhen, He Houhua |
|
| Chairman of the China Disabled Persons Federation | |
| In office 1988–2008 |
|
| Succeeded by | Zhang Haidi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 16, 1944 |
| Alma mater | Peking University |
Deng Pufang (simplified Chinese: 邓朴方; traditional Chinese: 鄧樸方; pinyin: Dèng Pǔfāng) (born 16 April 1944 in Zuoquan, Jinzhong, Shanxi) 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 paraplegic. He has since dedicated his life to improving the rights of handicapped people.[2]
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Deng Pufang was born to Deng Xiaoping and Zhuo Lin, his third wife. He is considered a member of the Crown Prince Party.
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, though some sources claimed he may have fallen or jumped out of the window himself.[1][2][3][4] 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 used a wheelchair, becoming a paraplegic.[1][2]
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]
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.
Deng also helped organize the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the Executive President of the Beijing Organizing Committee.[7]