Bio 

Yang Jiaqin was born in 1969 and lived in Xizhen, a rural community in Guangxi Province, China. He and his wife operated a small village medical clinic despite having limited formal medical training. For years, Yang was regarded as a local healthcare worker who provided basic treatment to residents in the surrounding area.

According to family members and medical professionals, Yang began showing serious signs of mental illness several years before the attack. His wife later reported that he frequently believed people were pursuing him and that he suffered from intense paranoia and hallucinations.

One of the earliest major episodes reportedly occurred around 2005. During a severe storm, Yang fled from his home and spent the night wandering outdoors because he believed people were chasing him. Relatives later found him frightened, injured, and unable to explain his actions rationally.

Medical professionals eventually diagnosed him with schizophrenia. Although treatment and medication initially reduced some of his symptoms, Yang's condition continued to deteriorate. Family members stated that he repeatedly stopped treatment, refused medical advice, and failed to receive consistent psychiatric care.

In later years, his symptoms reportedly became more severe. According to relatives, he believed unknown people were hunting him and became increasingly isolated. In one incident, he jumped from a third-floor window while attempting to escape imagined pursuers, suffering a broken leg. During another episode, he traveled to Shanghai and threatened suicide.

Despite repeated signs of severe mental illness, Yang received only limited psychiatric treatment. Doctors later stated that he had received approximately one month of formal care during the five years leading up to the attack.

Only days before the killings, Yang allegedly attacked a neighbor with an axe and caused a serious head injury. Family members claimed they sought help from authorities, but Yang was not detained. Local police and family members later disputed exactly what actions were taken before the attack.

Murder Story

On April 13, 2010, Yang Jiaqin armed himself with a meat cleaver and left his home in Xizhen. Children were walking home from school along a path near the village when he suddenly began attacking people. One of the first victims was eight-year-old Wu Junpei, a primary school student returning home after classes. Yang attacked the boy with the cleaver, inflicting severe injuries to his neck and body. The child later died from his wounds.

Several other children were also attacked during the rampage. Some managed to escape despite suffering serious injuries. Witnesses later described scenes of panic as children fled through the village seeking help. After attacking the children, Yang continued moving through nearby homes and properties. During the assault, he killed an elderly woman who was working in her home. Additional adults were wounded as the attacks continued.

By the time police officers located and subdued him, two people had been killed and five others had been injured. Authorities arrested Yang at the scene. The attack occurred during a period when China had experienced several highly publicized assaults against children near schools. Because of public concern about similar incidents, information about the attack was initially restricted by authorities.

Medical evaluations later concluded that Yang suffered from schizophrenia and had experienced severe hallucinations and delusional thinking. Doctors stated that he believed people were pursuing him and that he had lost touch with reality during the attack.

Psychiatrists involved in his treatment argued that his actions were directly connected to years of untreated or inadequately treated mental illness. Medical professionals also cited broader problems within China's mental health system, including limited access to psychiatric care in rural communities, shortages of specialists, and financial barriers to treatment.

Because Yang was determined to be mentally ill, he was placed in compulsory psychiatric confinement rather than receiving a conventional criminal sentence. Reports indicated that doctors eventually stabilized his condition through treatment and medication.

The case received national and international attention because it highlighted concerns about mental health treatment, access to psychiatric services in rural China, and the challenges faced by families caring for severely mentally ill relatives. The deaths of Wu Junpei and the elderly female victim also became a focus of public debate regarding whether earlier intervention might have prevented the attack.