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Fang LizhiChinese astrophysicist and public figure, dissident
Date of Birth: 12.02.1936
Country:  China |
Content:
Early Life and Activism
Fang Lizhi was a Chinese astrophysicist and dissident known as the "Chinese Sakharov" by orientalist Alexander Lomanov. At the age of 12, he joined an underground youth organization linked to the communists. Fang went on to study at Peking University and contributed to China's nuclear program. However, following the crackdown on the "Hundred Flowers Campaign," he suffered persecution alongside his future wife, Li Shuxian.
Academic and Political Career
Fang held positions as professor of astrophysics and first vice-president of the University of Science and Technology of China. In 1986-1987, he became an outspoken advocate for radical political reforms in China, advocating for "all-around openness or complete Westernization." Fang believed that China should fully embrace foreign influence in all aspects of society, from economics to ideology. In January 1987, he was removed from all his posts and expelled from the Communist Party of China.
Tiananmen Square and Exile
The day after the Tiananmen Square protests began on June 5, 1989, Fang and his wife sought political asylum at the United States embassy in Beijing. They remained at the embassy for a year until they were evacuated on June 25, 1990, aboard a U.S. Air Force plane. During his stay at the embassy, Fang was awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in the United States. Upon his emigration to the U.S., he taught at Princeton University and later at the University of Arizona.
