A protest leader from a Chinese village which became a symbol of resistance against corruption was sentenced to three years in prison for bribery Thursday, state media said.

Lin Zulian, elected head of the village of Wukan in rare open polls after residents expelled local officials in a mass 2011 uprising which drew global attention, was convicted of corruption, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The 70-year-old confessed to accepting bribes worth some $590,000 yuan ($90,000 USD) at his trial in the nearby city of Foshan and vowed not to appeal the verdict, it added.

Lin was detained in June and was shown on state TV admitting to taking bribes in a video recorded while he was under interrogation and released by prosecutors.

"Due to my lack of understanding of law, in many projects related to people's livelihoods... and in some collective purchases I took huge kickbacks," state-media quoted Lin as saying.

Dozens of Wukan locals marched in front of ranks of security officers after Lin was arrested, waving red flags and protesting his innocence, videos posted online showed.

Local authorities have warned villagers to stop protesting, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported.

The newspaper added security was "ultra-tight" outside the court in Foshan, with uniformed officers patrolling around a 1 kilometre radius.

Residents of the 13,000-strong fishing village in the southern province of Guangdong began protesting against what they called illegal land-grabs in 2011 in what was then seen as just another bout of social unrest in China, where tens of thousands of such incidents occur each year.

But when a protest leader died in police custody, villagers took their demonstration a step further, barricading roads leading into Wukan, and effectively expelling security forces for more than a week.

Communist Party authorities unexpectedly backed down and promised rare concessions, including pledges to investigate the land dispute and allow village polls to be held in an open manner -- a first in Wukan.

Lin -- who also led the protests -- was one of the successful contenders.

Newly elected Hong Kong lawmaker reports 'death threats'
Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 8, 2016 - A Hong Kong lawmaker advocating more autonomy from China who won a seat in landmark elections last weekend said Thursday he had received "death threats" before and since the polls as he reported them to police.

Eddie Chu was one of at least five candidates in the semi-autonomous city pushing for more distance or even an outright break from Beijing who took seats for the first time in the Legislative Council assembly Sunday amid fears of China tightening its grip.

Chu, 38, is also an environmentalist who has campaigned against the destruction of heritage properties to make way for newer developments.

He said he was unable to go home because he was being stalked and the safety of his family threatened.

"I received death threats...because of my political views," Chu told reporters.

"The threat to my personal safety is imminent...it has drastically worsened in the past two to three days," he said before going into the city's Wan Chai police station with his lawyer.

He did not give any detail on who had made the threats and how they reached him.

Michael Vidler, a lawyer assisting Chu, urged police to take the case seriously.

"Politically motivated threats or violence against elected representatives of the people is a direct attack on the rule of law and democracy," Vidler told reporters.

"The Hong Kong police are duty bound to uphold the rule of law and everybody's constitutional rights, including Mr. Chu's," he said.

Sunday's election saw a record turnout with more than two million residents casting their votes in the city of seven million.

It was the first major poll since the 2014 "Umbrella Movement" protests, with the anti-establishment camp increasing its share of the legislature, which is still weighted towards Beijing.

Chu, standing as an independent, emerged as winner in his constituency with more than 80,000 votes -- the most of any candidate in the polls.

His allegations mark the latest controversy to hit the election.

Several pro-independence activists were banned from standing and two say they will now appeal their disqualification, according to media reports.

Pro-establishment candidate Ken Chow, of the Liberal Party, has also complained of interference, saying he was told to quit the race to make way for other pro-Beijing candidates.