Bai Ningyang was an 18-year-old male resident of Shiguan village, located in Gongyi, Henan Province, China. Little is publicly known about his early life, education, or family background. However, his final days leading up to the massacre suggest signs of emotional instability and a growing pattern of aggressive behavior.

On 6 May 2006, just two days before the kindergarten attack, Bai was involved in a violent altercation with a local farmer. After the man stopped him from using a newly paved road, Bai reacted with alarming hostility. Armed with two knives, he pursued the farmer through the village in broad daylight. His father attempted to intervene, but Bai escalated the situation by seizing a five-year-old boy as a hostage. The child was able to escape unharmed, but Bai fled the area.

No records indicate that Bai was under medical or psychiatric care, nor were there reports of previous criminal convictions. However, locals later told investigators that Bai had become infatuated with a female kindergarten teacher, who allegedly rejected his romantic advances.

On the morning of 8 May 2006, Bai Ningyang entered a kindergarten classroom on the second floor of an illegal facility in Shiguan village, Gongyi. Inside were 21 young children, all estimated to be around five years old, and one female teacher, the same woman who had allegedly spurned his romantic interest.

At approximately 9:00 a.m., Bai produced a knife and forced the entire class to the back of the room. He then locked the classroom door behind him. Carrying two bottles of gasoline, he poured the contents on the floor and ignited the room, setting it ablaze before fleeing the scene. Only one child, whose parents Bai personally knew, was told to leave and escaped the fire.

Two children died immediately in the fire. Ten more succumbed to their injuries shortly after while receiving treatment in a hospital. Four other children and the teacher survived but sustained serious injuries.

The arson attack devastated the local community and sparked national outrage. Within hours, 800 police officers were mobilized in a massive manhunt. On 9 May 2006, Bai was located hiding in a mountain cave nearby and was arrested without resistance.

Authorities quickly pursued legal action. Bai was reportedly tried, convicted, and sentenced to death within days of his arrest, under China’s fast-track capital punishment system for severe criminal cases. The exact date of his execution was not disclosed, but it took place within the same year, 2006.