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Human Rights Exhibition in Beijing

A major human rights exhibition opened in China’s capital on November 17, 2006, showcasing the country’s efforts to protect human rights.

The ten-day exhibition, the largest of its kind ever held in Beijing, featured more than 700 pictures, 250 legal documents, 330 books on human rights and 24 diagrams.

Organizers said the exhibition “faithfully records China’s efforts to promote and safeguard the people’s right to subsistence and development and, more broadly, their political, economic, social and cultural rights.”

The exhibition, inside the Culture Palace of the Nationalities in downtown Beijing, featured three sections: China’s general human rights progress in the past century, the freedom of speech and press, and the protection of women’s, children’s, and ethnic minority rights.

“We hope the exhibition will give people a more comprehensive and objective understanding of human rights in China, a clearer picture of how human rights have developed in the Chinese context and more confidence in China’s commitment to human rights as it builds a socialist harmonious society,” Cai Wu, director of the Information Office of the State Council, said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

The exhibition focused on rags-to-riches stories, backed by statistics, of Chinese people under the governance of the Chinese Communist Party, and elaborated on increased protection of people’s political rights and freedom of speech.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is also 15 years since China issued its first white paper on human rights.

“The exhibition reflects China’s recognition of and respect for the UN bill on human rights and basic international human rights principles,” Cai said.

Dong Yunhu, vice-chairman of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said he believed the exhibition would help promote human rights in China and meanwhile boost exchanges between China and the outside world.

“It’s a window through which both domestic and foreign audiences can view China’s human rights progress,” Dong said.