In this fascinating article on “The Chinese Humanitarian Heritage and the Dissemination of and Education in International Humanitarian Law in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army” that was published in the International Review of the Red Cross (841), Senior Colonel He Xiaodong argues that “China is a country with a civilized history of thousands of years and has a rich traditional culture in which the concepts of humanity, justice and morality have long played a very important part. Throughout the millennia many aphorisms of Confucius and Mencius, such as those that “a man of humanity and benevolence will care for others”, “no one in the world can challenge a man who is human and benevolent” and “he who cares for others is constantly cared for by them; he who respects others is constantly respected by them”, have shaped the lives of the Chinese people. This shows how deeply rooted such concepts are in China. They have a lot in common with today’s humanitarianism.”

Senior Colonel He Xiaodong is a military lawyer and associate fellow of the Academy of Military Science of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (CPLA). He obtained his M.A. degree in English Literature in China (1988) and an LL.M. in International Law from Bristol University (1996). This article is based on a paper presented by the author at the 50th Anniversary Seminar organized in July 2000 by the Hong Kong Red Cross (Branch of the Red Cross Society of China).

This article is available in both Chinese and English language.