Reports from overseas human rights groups on the situation have painted a bleak picture.
Amnesty International has said Ye Guozhu, jailed for organising protests against forced evictions, has been tortured in prison, and considers him a prisoner of conscience.
"His situation is quite serious," said Amnesty's East Asia researcher Mark Allison. "He's also been subjected to discipline because he's trying to appeal against his conviction."
In June, the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions said that some 1.5 million residents of Beijing will be displaced by the time it hosts the Olympics, many of them evicted against their will.
Top: Foreign tourists tour the Liulichang culture street where old buildings and alleyways are undergoing a facelift in preparation for the 2008 Olympics.
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