For a blind man described by supporters as a “barefoot lawyer” for his work advising villagers fighting brutal population control measures in Shandong province, Chen Guangcheng has attracted the kind of official ire typically reserved for high-profile dissidents.

During a two-week detention in a village in the city of Linyi, authorities have set up roadblocks near his house and posted guards at the local railway station to prevent visitors from having any contact with Mr Chen.