Wang Zongfang was born on August 3, 1957, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. Little is publicly recorded about his early life or family background, but what is known suggests a turbulent trajectory. He once served as a soldier, which likely provided him with military training, weapons familiarity, and tactical awareness. This would later become a crucial factor in the crime spree he carried out with his older brother, Wang Zongwei.

During his service, Zongfang reportedly stole a firearm from a prison facility in 1976, seven years before the killing spree began. This theft would mark the first concrete step toward a deadly path of violence. The years following that theft remain largely undocumented, but it's believed that he and his brother lived under the radar, quietly accumulating weapons and possibly formulating plans to carry out more serious crimes.

There is no known record of legal employment or rehabilitation efforts following the gun theft. Nor is there evidence of any psychiatric evaluations or criminal charges prior to 1983.

On February 12, 1983, during the Chinese New Year celebrations, Wang Zongfang and his brother Zongwei stormed the People’s Liberation Army Hospital in their hometown of Shenyang. Armed with guns, they murdered five soldiers during a robbery, leaving a bloody trail at a time of national festivity. This brutal act would become the beginning of one of the most dramatic manhunts in Chinese criminal history.

Following the hospital attack, the duo went on the run. The manhunt spanned seven months and traversed multiple provinces, including Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangsu. The brothers committed a series of assaults during their escape, targeting law enforcement and military personnel with both firearms and grenades. Reports confirmed that they were responsible for killing nine police and military officers and injuring another nine, in addition to their original victims.

The sheer boldness of their crimes, including their use of military-grade weapons, sowed panic across the country and created a nationwide sense of vulnerability. Their crimes prompted a significant response from China's Ministry of Public Security, who placed the duo on the country’s most wanted list.

By September 18, 1983, the pursuit culminated in a dramatic armed confrontation in Guangchang, Jiangxi Province. The Armed Forces' Encirclement Troop, mobilized as part of China’s “Strike Hard” campaign to suppress crime, tracked the brothers and engaged them in a deadly shootout. Both brothers were fatally shot on the spot.