Wang Binyu was born on April 30, 1977, into a poor rural family in Gansu Province, a region in north‑central China known for its arid climate, limited economic development, and widespread poverty. Like many young men from underprivileged backgrounds in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Wang left his hometown in search of better opportunities and moved to the neighboring Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Both Gansu and Ningxia are part of what is sometimes referred to as “China’s Wild West,” a sparsely populated interior region where economic disparities and social inequalities are pronounced.

Wang’s family struggled financially, and his decision to become a migrant laborer was largely motivated by the need to support them. His father’s declining health placed a significant financial burden on the family, as medical care and education in China required substantial out‑of‑pocket expenses. Wang hoped to save enough money from his work to pay for an operation that his father urgently needed. Like millions of other migrant workers, he found employment through a subcontracting company at a construction or manufacturing site — a common arrangement that often left workers vulnerable to exploitation, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions.

The harsh realities of migrant labor in China weighed heavily on Wang. Workers in his position frequently endured long hours, poor living conditions, and withheld wages. Employers or subcontractors would sometimes deduct arbitrary “fees” or delay payments indefinitely, knowing that workers had little legal recourse. For Wang, this system of exploitation became deeply personal when his own wages were withheld despite his family’s desperate situation.

In 2004, Wang’s situation reached a crisis. After months of grueling work in Ningxia, his subcontractor withheld a significant portion of his pay and claimed that Wang still owed money for unspecified “expenses.” For Wang, who needed the wages to pay for his father’s medical treatment, the loss was devastating. He repeatedly demanded payment, but his appeals were ignored or dismissed. Tensions escalated, and the exploitation he experienced — which mirrored the struggles of millions of China’s rural migrant workers — eventually boiled over into violence.

During one confrontation over his unpaid wages, Wang got into a heated argument with several of his co‑workers and supervisors. The dispute spiraled out of control and turned physical. In the course of the altercation, Wang attacked those present, killing four people. The murders shocked the local community, but they also drew widespread attention to the brutal working conditions faced by China’s internal migrant labor force. Wang did not attempt to flee and was quickly arrested by local police shortly after the killings.

While in custody, Wang made statements that revealed his psychological state and broader disillusionment. He told authorities and reporters that he “wanted to die so that he could no longer be exploited” and expressed deep remorse for his actions. He also voiced hope that the Chinese Communist Party and the government would “value migrant laborers” more highly and address the systemic issues that had contributed to his despair.

Wang’s trial was swift, and he was convicted of multiple counts of murder in 2005. Despite some public sympathy and debate about whether the exploitation he suffered should have been considered a mitigating factor, the court upheld a death sentence. On October 19, 2005, at the age of 28, Wang Binyu was executed by firing squad.