Classics references for human rights

The human rights ideals expressed in ancient Chinese classic literature are an important part of Chinese culture and the shared wisdom of human beings, experts from home and abroad said during a forum in Hunan province on Wednesday.

Exploring the human rights ideals in the classics can help Chinese people better understand and inherit Chinese culture, and provide valuable references and lessons for human rights undertakings around the world to promote their development in a more open and inclusive way, they said.

The International Academic Conference on the Ideals of Human Rights in Ancient Chinese Classics was held in Changsha, capital of Hunan, on Wednesday.

It was hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Hunan Provincial Committee and Hunan University.

Deng Wei, Party secretary of Hunan University, said Chinese classics contain rich philosophy, ethics, morality and political wisdom.

Confucius put forward the concept of "the benevolent love of others", while Mencius promoted the notion that "the people are the most important element in a state, then the gods of land and grain, and least is the ruler himself", Deng said.

Both concepts show respect for people and their livelihoods, which are similar to modern ideals of respect and protection of human rights, he said.

Yang Haodong, head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee, said the concept of targeted poverty alleviation has been introduced in Shibadong village in Hunan, which helped the country solve the problem of abject poverty.

China has offered its experience in international poverty alleviation to other developing countries and has contributed its wisdom to the development of human society, he said.

Giuseppina Merchionne, president of the Italy-China Center for Collaboration and Cultural Exchange of the Silk Road, said as two countries with rich cultures, Italy and China have a responsibility to make use of their cultures to create peace and oppose all forms of war, as culture is the foundation of peace.

Confucius once said that all men are brothers, a human rights concept that is shared throughout the Western world, she said.

She said based on the two nations' histories and cultures, she hopes they can work together to create an exemplary and free world.

Jiang Jianguo, executive vice-president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said China's human rights development is among the most advanced in the work and is developing at the fastest pace.

However, the country's human rights discourse still heavily depends on Western academic concepts and ideas. And some hostile Western forces have politicized human rights to meddle in other countries' internal affairs to defend their hegemony in the world, he said.

Therefore, it is important for the country to conduct thorough research on China's human rights concepts by explaining its rich culture, practical achievements, global contributions and development drive, he added.