A Chinese lawyer has pleaded guilty to subversion and "disrupting court order" — a charge similar to contempt of court — during a hearing in Hunan province.

Xie Yang, 45, showed remorse for his crimes at Changsha Intermediate People's Court on Monday morning and also denied claims that he was tortured while in police detention.

"What I did went against my identity as a lawyer. These actions tainted the image of the country and the Communist Party (of China), and had a very negative effect," he said. "I hope the judicial authorities can give me an opportunity to correct my mistakes and start anew."

Xie, a native of Hunan province, asked for leniency from the court, which will deliver its sentence at a later date.

Police placed Xie under investigation in July 2015 and arrested him on Jan 8 last year, according to prosecutors.

The defendant said at Monday's hearing that the police and prosecutors had not used torture to force a confession.

Footage from the trial as well as a transcript were release online.

More than 40 people attended the trial, including Xie's relatives and attorneys, legislators and political advisers. The hearing was also open to foreign and domestic media organizations.