Mao graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1950 and was labeled a 'rightist' in 1958.

[1][2] He co-founded the Unirule Institute of Economics, which educated new and old generations of Chinese on the importance of private property, freedom of choice, voluntary exchange, rule of law, and other aspects of the free market economy, teaching how to transition away from central planning.

On 4 May 2012, Mao Yushi was awarded the Cato Institute's Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty for his work in classical liberalism and free-market economics.

[3][4] In October 2014, Beijing began a "crackdown on dissent" by banning the publication of his works.

[7][8] Mao Yushi has been suppressed for a long time because his speech and ideological views are not compatible with the Chinese authorities.