The Democracy Wall was a long brick wall on Chang'an street in the Xidan District of Beijing, which became the focus for democratic dissent. Beginning in December 1978, in line with the Chinese Communist Party's policy of "seeking truth from facts," activists in the democracy movement recorded news and ideas, often in the form of big-character posters (dazibao), during a period known as the Beijing Spring. These activists were encouraged to criticize the Gang of Four and previous (failed) government policies, but the wall was closed in December 1979 when the leadership and the communist party system were being criticized along with past mistakes and leaders. The shutdown coincided with suppression of political dissent. â–¶(?) (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; Postal System Pinyin: Peking) is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Seek truth from facts (Chinese: 实事求是, pinyin: shí shì qiú shì) is a slogan in the Peoples Republic of China referring to pragmatism. ... Big-character posters or (dazibao) were posters, limited-circulation newspapers, excerpted press articles, and pamphlets using large-sized ideographs. ... The Beijing Spring was a brief period of political liberalization in the Peoples Republic of China which occurred in 1977 and 1978. ... The Gang of Four on trial The Gang of Four (Chinese: 四人帮; pinyin: ) was a group of Communist Party leaders in the Peoples Republic of China who were arrested and removed from their positions in 1976, following the death of Mao Zedong, and were blamed for the events of... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: ) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ... In any debate, sometimes the more powerful opponent will try to silence the other rather than trying to defeat their arguments. ... Individual rights Free speech, free press Soap box, Speakers corner (Hyde Park), blog (weblog) prior restraint, censorship, self-censorship, censor Right to assembly Gay rights, Stonewall Feminism, ERA, equal pay, Title IX Famous political dissenters Gandhi Steve Biko Nelson Mandela Martin Luther King, Jr. ...

The Fifth Modernization was a signed wall poster placed by Wei Jingsheng on December 5, 1978 on the Democracy Wall in Beijing. It was the first poster there that openly advocated further individual liberties. It caused a spectacle, espousing that freedom was the only "modernization" that really mattered, rather than improved living standards. The poster was in response to the government's Four Modernizations campaign. Wei Jingsheng Wei Jingsheng (魏京生) (born May 20, 1950) is an activist in the Chinese democracy movement most prominent for authoring the document the Fifth Modernization. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... Personal liberty is one of the meanings of freedom. Freedom refers, in a very general sense, to the state of being free (i. ... The Standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people. ... The Four Modernizations (simplified Chinese: 四个现代化; traditional Chinese: 四個現代化; pinyin: sì gè xiàn dài huà) were the goals of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms. ...

Nepal had its own Democracy Wall, in Ratna Park, Kathmandu. After the establishment of democracy in 1990, the square became a rallying point for protesters; but the wall itself was demolished by the city government in August 2005, six months after Gyanendra of Nepal dismissed the elected government and assumed direct power himself. This article is about the city. ... This article is about the year. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... King Gyanendra King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal (born July 7, 1947) has been the king of Nepal since June 2001. ...

See also

• History of the People's Republic of China (1976-present)

This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, etc. ...

External links and references

• http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/china/jingshen.html - The Fifth Modernization by Wei Jingsheng
• This article incorporates public domain text from the Library of Congress Country Studies. - China