Ni's human rights activism was first demonstrated in 2001, when her neighborhood in Beijing had been slated for demolition in order to accommodate the 7-year-later 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ni, a forty year-old lawyer at the time, helped her neighbors by either attempting to save their homes from being demolished or by demanding equitable compensation.
Timeline
April 2002: Ni was arrested by the police while filming the forced destruction of a neighbor's home. She was then detained for 75 days. During her detention, she was severely beaten, consequently leaving her maimed and in need of clutches to walk since. September 2002: Ni was again arrested while petitioning the Beijing National People's Congress Standing Committee about her having been beaten in police custody. However, she was instead sentenced to a year in prison for "obstructing official business". Additionally, her lawyer's license was revoked. 2003-2004: Ni continued to help victims of forced evictions in Beijing to petition to the government despite ongoing official harrassments. September 9, 2005:On the eve of her visit to Beijing, Ni co-signed a collective letter to Louise Arbour, the United Nations' High Commissioner on Human Rights, which called for her attention to serious, ongoing human rights violations in China. November 16, 2005: Before the then US presidentGeorge W. Bush's vist to China, the Chinese regime's police forbade Ni from leaving her home. Two days later, when she was taking a walk in a park near her home, she was assaulted by unidentified men. However, when she reported this attack to the police, she herself was taken into custody. August 2008: Beijing Olympics opened in August, Ni was arrested when her own home was forcibly demolished, and was sentenced to two years in prison. Upon her release, she had to live in a tent, as her home was demolished without consent in November, 2008. April 7, 2011: Ni and her husband were detained by police as part of a nationwide crackdown on dissent. December 29, 2011: Chinese authorities put Yulan on trial for alleged "fraud" in Beijing. In April 2012, Ni was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for “making trouble” and "fraud". Her husband, Dong Jiqin, was similarly sentenced to two years for "making trouble". October 5, 2013: Ni completed her third sentence.
Travel ban
In 2016, Ni was forbidden by Chinese authorities from leaving China to attend The US Award Ceremony, where she would have received the International Women of Courage Award. According to Ni, the reason for such a ban was that Chinese authorities had, without legal reasons, withheld her passport.
