The Human Rights Awareness of Chinese Civilization in the “Axial Age”

LU Guangjin*

Abstract: During the “Axial Age,” Chinese civilization experienced a distinctive human rights awareness characterized by its endogeneity, autonomy, and originality. This awareness, based primarily on humanism, populism, and naturalism, emphasized respect for human beings, highlighting the importance of caring for, respecting, and protecting people, and focusing on “benefiting the people,” “nurturing the people,” “enriching the people,” and “prospering the people.” It reflected an awareness of human rights such as the rights to life, personality, subsistence, development, and environment. This human rights awareness, oriented towards values such as “achieving benevolence,” “valuing goodness,” “revering righteousness,” “cherishing harmony,” and “seeking the public good,” established a cognitive logic that unifies human nature, virtue, and rationality. It featured a human rights spirit that is not dominated by divine authority, based on moral and ethical philosophy, and oriented towards “positive” rights. This awareness delved into the value of being human and the meaning of human existence, demonstrating creativity and innovation, and marking a significant breakthrough in the history of human rights civilization. The ideological wisdom, spiritual strength, and practical pathways contained in this human rights awareness not only laid the foundation for the human rights thought of classical Chinese civilization but are also indispensable for contemporary China’s commitment to the “two combinations”. It holds important practical significance for advancing Chinese modernization and creating a modern human rights civilization for the Chinese nation.

Keywords: Axial Age · Chinese civilization · human rights awareness · human rights civilization · “two combinations”