Yu Jianrong: From Concerned Scholar to Advocate for the Marginalized

In this second issue on the scholar and public intellectual Yu Jianrong, we address some of the topics that have been at the core of his academic work and where his research and views have helped shaped awareness of these issues among the general public and the academic community. We focus on the rural-urban divide, land issues (including land confiscations and property demolitions), the letters and visits system, and social unrest and the so-called stability issue. To highlight the public intellectual dimension of Yu's work, we have selected some of his articles from traditional media; speeches that he has made and that have been circulated on the Internet; public debates with officials, scholars, and foreigners; and interactions with netizens on Sina Weibo.