Hu Ping (1947- ) is a writer and commentator based in New York City. Hu was born in Beijing in 1947. He graduated from high school in Chengdu in 1966. During the Cultural Revolution, Hu reprinted Yu Luoke’s articles in his own publications. In 1969, Hu was sent down to labor in the suburbs of Panzhihua, Sichuan Province. In 1973, Hu returned to Chengdu for part-time work. In 1978, Hu was admitted to Peking University’s philosophy department and later received his Master’s degree there. In 1979, Hu participated in the Democracy Wall movement and published his long essay “On Freedom of Speech” in the Fertile Ground (Wo Tu) journal. In 1980, Hu ran for election and was elected a people’s representative representing Peking University and Haidian District in Beijing.
In 1987, Hu started his PhD at Harvard. Hu was elected president of China Alliance for Democracy from 1988 to 1991 and was the editor-in-chief of the journals China Spring and Beijing Spring. Hu is currently honorary editor-in-chief of Beijing Spring and a managing board member of Human Rights In China.
Hu’s major works include: On Freedom of Speech, Reflections on China’s Democracy Movement, Man’s Domestication, Avoidance, and Rebellion, Cynical Disease, Why Mao Zedong Initiated the Cultural Revolution, Upside Down Justice - China's Ethnic Problem and Democratic Transition, The COVID-19 Catastrophe - A Disaster That Could Have Been Completely Avoided.
