Chinese Conceptions Of Rights: From Mencius To Mao And Now
Chinese Conceptions of “Rights”: From Mencius to Mao—and Now
One interpretation is “moral vacuum”. Some western journalists and scholars describe the contemporary protests as symptoms of a pervasive“moral vacuum” in which Chinese supposedly find themselves. They depicted Post-Mao China as a society where Marxism has been discredited, but—absent a Western appreciation of individual natural rights—Chinese have no moral compass to guide their changing and confused lives. In other word, We Chinese are lost. The other interpretation is an emergent “rights consciousness”. Many scholars have detected in the surge of popular protest in post-Mao China an emergent “rights consciousness”—indicating a supposed bottom-up claim to citizenship and auguring …show more content…
The government credits the People’s Republic with having bestowed upon the Chinese people an unprecedented enjoyment of human rights—most notably in the form of socioeconomic justice. The government stresses that when it comes to human rights—socioeconomic considerations rank first among its priorities. As for the people, at present, they also enjoy: a right to some minimum standard of living (“subsistence” or shengcun); a right to expect an improvement in that standard (“development” or fazhan). (Next)
The author further elaborates historical views of Rights in china, From Confucius to Mao Zedong and his successors. Confucius: stressed that people have a just claim to a decent livelihood and that a state’s legitimacy depends upon satisfying this claim. Mencius: emphasized the links between economic welfare and legitimate rule. Mao Zedong: articulated the state should promote socioeconomic development. …show more content…
In China: the society usually called a more proactive role for government, which was expected to promote economic welfare and security. From Mencius to Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and their successors, all believed that retaining their legitimacy was linked to the well-being of the peasantry and promote their livelihood.
In The U.S.A: as Thomas Jefferson puts it, tyranny, not poverty, was the root cause of periodic rightful rebellion. No many social movements in the contemporary United States focused on a demand for economic justice. Collective actions generally center on claims of individual civil rights.(Next)
Elizabeth give more details of the conception of human rights and citizen in China. She points out that: the Chinese state itself actively encourages a conceptual linkage between “livelihood” and “rights.” Chinese people are striving for a xiaokang, or economically comfortable standard of living, and a vigorous development of the human rights. The Chinese term for “human rights” (renquan) also carries the possible meaning of “people’s power.”
One interpretation is “moral vacuum”. Some western journalists and scholars describe the contemporary protests as symptoms of a pervasive“moral vacuum” in which Chinese supposedly find themselves. They depicted Post-Mao China as a society where Marxism has been discredited, but—absent a Western appreciation of individual natural rights—Chinese have no moral compass to guide their changing and confused lives. In other word, We Chinese are lost. The other interpretation is an emergent “rights consciousness”. Many scholars have detected in the surge of popular protest in post-Mao China an emergent “rights consciousness”—indicating a supposed bottom-up claim to citizenship and auguring …show more content…
The government credits the People’s Republic with having bestowed upon the Chinese people an unprecedented enjoyment of human rights—most notably in the form of socioeconomic justice. The government stresses that when it comes to human rights—socioeconomic considerations rank first among its priorities. As for the people, at present, they also enjoy: a right to some minimum standard of living (“subsistence” or shengcun); a right to expect an improvement in that standard (“development” or fazhan). (Next)
The author further elaborates historical views of Rights in china, From Confucius to Mao Zedong and his successors. Confucius: stressed that people have a just claim to a decent livelihood and that a state’s legitimacy depends upon satisfying this claim. Mencius: emphasized the links between economic welfare and legitimate rule. Mao Zedong: articulated the state should promote socioeconomic development. …show more content…
In China: the society usually called a more proactive role for government, which was expected to promote economic welfare and security. From Mencius to Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, and their successors, all believed that retaining their legitimacy was linked to the well-being of the peasantry and promote their livelihood.
In The U.S.A: as Thomas Jefferson puts it, tyranny, not poverty, was the root cause of periodic rightful rebellion. No many social movements in the contemporary United States focused on a demand for economic justice. Collective actions generally center on claims of individual civil rights.(Next)
Elizabeth give more details of the conception of human rights and citizen in China. She points out that: the Chinese state itself actively encourages a conceptual linkage between “livelihood” and “rights.” Chinese people are striving for a xiaokang, or economically comfortable standard of living, and a vigorous development of the human rights. The Chinese term for “human rights” (renquan) also carries the possible meaning of “people’s power.”