2018 marks the 40^th anniversary of reform and opening up in China. Reform and opening up have provided endogenous impetus and development conditions for China's human rights cause. Meanwhile, the development of human rights causes has provided necessary constraints and a sustainable guarantee for the healthy development of the reform and opening up. From the perspective of the development and change of principle social contradictions, the historical process of China's reform and opening up can be divided into two stages. Correspondingly, the development of human rights causes in China since the reform and opening up can also be divided into two successive stages, which are closely linked but different in the objectives, tasks, and specific contents.