Wang Binyu was born on April 30, 1977, in a rural and impoverished area of Gansu Province, located in north-central China. Gansu is one of the country's least developed regions, known for its arid climate and rugged terrain. Growing up in poverty, Wang faced the harsh realities of a rural upbringing in a country rapidly modernizing but still marked by regional disparities. Education and healthcare were not free, and those born into poor families often had to abandon schooling early in pursuit of work to help support their families.

As a young adult, Wang became one of China’s countless nongmingong (农民工), migrant laborers from rural provinces who traveled to more developed or industrialized areas seeking better pay. He found work in the neighboring Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, another largely undeveloped part of China. There, he took a job at a construction-related factory through a subcontractor.

His father fell seriously ill and needed an operation, an expense the family could not afford. Desperate to save his father and lacking access to affordable healthcare, Wang placed enormous hope in his hard-earned wages. However, his employer, a subcontractor, withheld portions of his pay. Claiming unverified deductions and expenses, the contractor refused to give Wang the full amount he was owed.

In 2004, during a confrontation over his unpaid wages, Wang Binyu’s frustration reached its breaking point. The exact sequence of events remains partly unclear, but it is known that a heated dispute broke out between Wang and several of his co-workers—possibly those loyal to or aligned with the subcontractor who had withheld his pay. The confrontation turned physical and, in a fit of rage and desperation, Wang killed four people. Whether these individuals were directly responsible for his withheld wages remains uncertain, but the incident was both shocking and tragic. It was an explosion of violence rooted not in ideology, but in systemic injustice and human despair.

Wang was arrested shortly afterward. During his incarceration, he expressed deep remorse for his actions but also made clear that he no longer wished to live. In statements given from prison, he said he wanted to die so he could no longer be exploited, and he pleaded for China’s ruling party and leadership to start valuing the lives and rights of migrant workers.

His case captured national attention, not only because of the murders but because of the social inequality it exposed. Wang became a symbol of the voiceless laborers who make up the invisible backbone of China’s booming development. Many Chinese citizens expressed sympathy, not for the violence he committed, but for the conditions that drove him to such extremes. His story sparked heated debates online and in the media about the treatment of migrant workers, the lack of labor protections, and systemic failures in healthcare and justice.

Despite the growing public empathy and a wave of support for leniency, the Chinese legal system moved forward with the execution. Wang was convicted of murder in 2005 and was executed by shooting on October 19 of that year, at the age of 28.