Career
Ni began her human rights work in 2001, when her neighborhood in Beijing was slated to be demolished in order to accommodate the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Ni organized with neighbors to attempt to save their homes or demand equitable compensation. In 2002, Ni was arrested while filming the destruction of a neighbor"s home.
She was disbarred and sentenced to a year in prison.
As a result of torture incurred in prison in 2002, Ni was left permanently disabled, and she is now uses a wheelchair. Soon after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Ni was again arrested for advocating on behalf of displaced residents, and sentenced to two years in prison.
Upon her release, she had to live in a tent, since she was a victim of land eviction herself. On 29 December 2011, Chinese authorities put Yulan on trial for 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."
In 2011, Ni was the recipient of the Human rights defenders tulip, an annual award presented by the government of the Netherlands.