The institutional defect in expropriating rural land is the leading binding condition to cause contradictions and conflicts in the practice. Under the activelychanging political opportunity and restraint, contradictions must occur between government’s expropriating land and farmers’ preserving their right. Driven by a double psychological motivation of identity agreement and interest agreement, the landlost farmers manage to bring the damage of their interests in expropriating land to public concern by mobilizing resources and constituting society. Under the effect of economic, social and political factors, a contradiction of expropriating land is likely to upgrade into a confronting conflict when a trigger event happens.

expropriating rural land; institutional defect; subject of interests; social conflict