Xu Zhangrun

Xu Zhangrun (; born October 1962) is a Chinese jurist. He is a professor of Jurisprudence and Constitutional Law at Tsinghua University, and a research fellow with the Unirule Institute of Economics.

Education
Xu received his Bachelors from the Southwest University of Political Science & Law, a Masters from the China University of Political Science and Law, and a PhD from the University of Melbourne.

Research
Xu's research specializes in jurisprudence, Western legal philosophy, constitutional theory, and the relationship between Confucianism and law.

Writing 
In July 2018, Xu published an essay, translated as "Imminent Fears, Immediate Hopes", where he rebukes the recent policy shifts of Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping, including the abolition of term limits and the restoration of a cult of personality, which is notable for being a rare expression of public dissent. The essay has been translated into English by Geremie Barmé. That essay received some commentary from Western scholars. Xu had been suspended and put under investigation.

In April 2019, friends reported that the authorities had prohibited Xu from leaving the country. He was stopped from boarding a flight to Japan on a trip authorized and funded by Tsinghua University.

In February 2020, Xu published an essay Viral Alarm: When Fury Overcomes Fear condemning the Chinese Government's response to the Wuhan flu outbreak. Xu condemns how the government banned the reporting of factual information during the outbreak and connects this problem to a larger freedom of speech issue in China. After the publication of this essay, Xu's friends were unable to get in touch with him. His account has been suspended on WeChat and his named scrubbed from Weibo. It is believed he is under house arrest.

References 

Category:1962 births
Category:Chinese jurists
Category:Living people
Category:Chinese legal scholars
Category:Chinese academics
Category:Chinese classical liberals