Han Dongfang
Encyclopedia
Han Dongfang has been an advocate for workers' rights in China for more than two decades during which time he has won numerous international awards including the 1993 Democracy Award from the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy
.
Born in the impoverished village of Nanweiquan in Shanxi
, Han first came to international prominence when, as a railway worker in Beijing, he helped set up the Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Federation
(BWAF) during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
. The BWAF was the People's Republic of China
's first independent trade union, established as an alternative to the Party-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions
.
The BWAF was disbanded after the June 4 crackdown, and Han was placed at the top of the Chinese government’s most wanted list. Han turned himself into the police and was imprisoned for 22 months without trial until he contacted tuberculosis in prison and was released in April 1991. He spent a year in the U.S. undergoing medical treatment before returning to China in August 1993. On his return, he was arrested in Guangzhou
and expelled to Hong Kong
, where he still lives today.
In 1994, he established China Labour Bulletin
, a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization
that seeks to uphold and defend the rights of workers across China.
In addition to his work at CLB, Han conducts regular interviews with workers and peasants across China on Radio Free Asia
. These interviews give insight into lives of workers in China are broadcast across China three times weekly on shortwave radio.
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote US-friendly democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress...
.
Born in the impoverished village of Nanweiquan in Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
, Han first came to international prominence when, as a railway worker in Beijing, he helped set up the Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Federation
Beijing Workers' Autonomous Federation
The Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Federation or Beijing Workers’ Autonomous Union was the main organization of workers calling for political change during the Tiananmen Square protests of April, May, and June 1989...
(BWAF) during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
. The BWAF was the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's first independent trade union, established as an alternative to the Party-controlled All-China Federation of Trade Unions
All-China Federation of Trade Unions
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions , is the sole national trade union federation of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest trade union in the world with 134 million members in 1,713,000 primary trade union organizations...
.
The BWAF was disbanded after the June 4 crackdown, and Han was placed at the top of the Chinese government’s most wanted list. Han turned himself into the police and was imprisoned for 22 months without trial until he contacted tuberculosis in prison and was released in April 1991. He spent a year in the U.S. undergoing medical treatment before returning to China in August 1993. On his return, he was arrested in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
and expelled to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, where he still lives today.
In 1994, he established China Labour Bulletin
China Labour Bulletin
China Labour Bulletin is a non-governmental organization that promotes and defends workers’ rights in the People’s Republic of China. It is based in Hong Kong and was founded in 1994 by labour activist Han Dongfang...
, a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
that seeks to uphold and defend the rights of workers across China.
In addition to his work at CLB, Han conducts regular interviews with workers and peasants across China on Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
. These interviews give insight into lives of workers in China are broadcast across China three times weekly on shortwave radio.
External links
- Human Rights First interview
- The Worldly - Han Dongfang: Bringing China's Labor Movement to Light
- China Labor Struggles -- interview with Han from July–August 2005 New Left ReviewNew Left ReviewNew Left Review is a 160-page journal, published every two months from London, devoted to world politics, economy and culture. Often compared to the French-language Les Temps modernes, it is associated with Verso Books , and regularly features the essays of authorities on contemporary social...
- The Prospects for Legal Enforcement of Labor Rights in China Today - A Glass Half Full -- June 2008 statement by Han to the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on ChinaCongressional-Executive Commission on ChinaThe Congressional-Executive Commission on China is an independent agency of the U.S. government which monitors human rights and rule of law developments in the People's Republic of China. It was created in October 2001 under Title III of H.R. 4444, which authorizes normal trade relations with the...
- "China's Workers Are Stirring" Opinion by Han Dongfang in The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
June 17, 2010
Video external links
- Han Dongfang's Youtube page -- videos of Han's call-in program with Radio Free Asia (Mandarin language)
- Social Justice and Harmony in China: Trade Union Movement -- talk by Han to UCLAUniversity of California, Los AngelesThe University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
International Institute on June 2, 2005 - When will we have Free Unions in China ? Online video of speech given in February 2007 in Montreal.
- Speech by Han on unions to SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West on March 8, 2008