Meng's first entry garnered extensive public attention, attracting more than 3,000 readers and receiving 118 supportive responses.

One netizen wrote to Meng, saying that such violence destroyed not only farmers' houses but also people's hearts.

Meng began writing in his online diary every day to chronicle the case's progress.

Five suspects were detained on Nov 2, followed by 12 more on Nov 9. On Nov 13, five local government officials were removed from their posts or otherwise severely punished.

At the same time, senior local government leaders visited Meng's family and promised to punish the criminals.

Typing "Meng Jianwei" and "demolition" into Baidu, China's leading search engine, brought up 68,300 results.

"I used to live simply, because all I focused on was finishing my research," Meng said.

"My father never mentioned the forced relocation dispute to me. He always supported me, no matter what degree I chose to pursue," he continued.

"Teachers and classmates at Fudan have come to visit me to offer condolences and support. Maybe I should consider studying abroad, although I never thought about it before."