Deng Pufang (, born 16 April 1944) is a Chinese politician, who is the eldest son of former Chinese paramount leader Deng Xiaoping. He is mostly known for being injured during the Cultural Revolution by the Red Guards and becoming a paraplegic. He has since dedicated his life to improving the rights of people with disabilities.

Biography

Deng Pufang was born to Deng Xiaoping and Zhuo Lin, in Yuntoudi Village, Mataian Town, Liao County, Jinzhong, Shanxi. 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 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in September 1965.

During the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping and his family were targeted by Mao Zedong. He was branded as a capitalist roader.

Mao's Red Guards then imprisoned Deng Pufang. He was tortured and thrown out of the window of a three-story building at Peking University 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.

thumb|left|Deng meeting with [[U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House (1987)]]

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 March 2008, at the first session of the Eleventh National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (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.

In September 2023, at the age of 79, Deng Pufang stepped down as Honorary Chairman of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

See also

  • United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights Prizewinner (2003)

References

  • Deng Pufang's Biography