Wei Jingsheng

Wei Jingsheng moves me more than most people in this database, because his fame was never sought, it was the cost of conscience. Posting 'The Fifth Modernization' on Beijing's Democracy Wall in 1978, demanding democracy alongside the Party's economic reforms, took a courage most of us will never be tested for, and he paid with years of imprisonment. The roll call of honors, the Sakharov Prize, the Robert F. Kennedy and Olof Palme awards, only confirms what his life already proved. I find it striking that a man defined by a single essay reshaped how the world reads China's democracy movement. His example unsettles and inspires in equal measure.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Name (English)

Wei Jingsheng

Name (Japanese)

魏京生

Reading

ぎ・きょうせい

Born

May 20, 1950 (age 76)

Origin

Beijing, People's Republic of China

Occupation

human rights defender / writer

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Taurus / Tiger

High school

High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

University

High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China

Awards & achievements

• 1996 Sakharov Prize
• 1998 Amnesty International Menschenrechtspreis
• 1996 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
• 1994 Olof Palme Prize
• 2000 Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom

• Official sitehttps://www.weijingsheng.org
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wei%20Jingsheng
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%AD%8F%E4%BA%AC%E7%94%9F
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q318130

Tags

• human rights defender
• writer

Last updated

September 18, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.