ABSTRACT
The struggle for human rights in China has been conducted by certain groups within the larger community of intellectuals. To outsiders, the most spectacular drive was that of the Democracy Wall-era dissidents, who flourished during 1978 and 1979. The term “humanism” is a translation of various Chinese terms. Most common is “renben zhuyi” meaning “man as the basis.” “Renwen zhuyi” also means humanities, or “human culture” as a school of thought. There has been much debate about humanism. These discussions are of interest for two reasons. First, the extent to which such a sensitive subject can be openly discussed reveals something about the human rights situation in general. Second, the subject of humanism itself has important implications for human rights. The humanism-alienation school is primarily associated with Wang Ruoshui, who was deputy editor of People’s Daily. He was removed from this sensitive post in October 1983, i.e., at the beginning of the period under review.
