Mainland China has experienced numerous serial killers—individuals who have murdered three or more people over an extended period of time—throughout its history.[1]
The number of serial killers and mass murderers active in the country spiked in the 1990s, which researchers attributed to the "heavy pressure" many Chinese felt during the rapid social change of the period.
Below is a list of recorded serial killers who were active in the country, with Wikipedia articles of their own.
Serial killers active before the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
| Name | Years active | data-sort-type="number" | Proven victims! | data-sort-type="number" | Possible victims! | Status | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liu Pengli, Prince of Jidong | data-sort-value="-200" | 2nd century BC | 100+ | 100+ | Stripped of his authority and banished to Zhushan County before 116 BC | Han prince who would go on marauding expeditions at night with his slaves, robbing and murdering villagers for sport. After a complaint was filed, the Emperor (his uncle) declared Liu a commoner and banished him to the county of Shangyong. | [2] |
| Name | Years active | data-sort-type="number" | Proven victims! | data-sort-type="number" | Possible victims! | Status | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bai Baoshan | 1996–1997 | 15 | 17 | Executed by shooting in 1998 | In March 1996, Bai was released from prison after serving 13 years for a robbery-assault committed in 1983. Angered by his imprisonment, Bai began a crime spree, murdering police, soldiers, and civilians and committing robberies. He was aided by an accomplice, Wu Ziming, in some of the crimes. Bai would later kill Wu during a dispute over money. In September 1997, he was apprehended at his home in Beijing. According to Bai, he beat two inmates to death with a hammer during his first incarceration. | [3] | ||
| Chen Fuzhao | 2003 | 17 | 17 | Executed by shooting in 2004 | Dermatologist who mixed rat poison in drinks and gave them to beggars in Longgang, Zhejiang. | [4] | ||
| Chen Yongfeng | 2003 | 10 | 10 | Executed in 2004 | Man from Wenzhou who worked in waste recycling. Aware that his co-workers carried money, he lured them to his home over the course of four months on the pretext of selling waste items. He then killed them, stole their belongings, and dismembered the bodies. Eventually, he was caught during the act and sentenced to death. | [5] | ||
| Cheng Peng | 1988–1995 | 6 | 6 | Executed by shooting in 1995 | Dog breeder from Yinchuan who murdered six people and fed some of the remains to his dogs. During his spree, Cheng and one of his dogs were featured in An Old Man and His Dog, which, after his arrest, led to the film's decades-long ban. | [6] | ||
| Cheng Ruilong | 1996–2005 | 11 | 13 | Executed by lethal injection in 2010 | Robbed, raped, and murdered people for nine years across China, sometimes with accomplices, while living under a false identity. | [7] | ||
| Dong Wenyu | 2006 | 6 | 6 | Executed by shooting in 2007 | Active in four provinces, Dong killed six people, seriously injured another, raped women, and committed several robberies within three months. | [8] | ||
| Du Runqiong, Tang Youhua | 1995 | 18 | 18 | Executed by shooting in 1996 (both) | Superstitious mother and son who carried out mass poisonings between June and December 1995, resulting in the deaths of 18 people and thousands of animals. | [9] | ||
| Duan Guocheng | 1999–2001 | 13 | 13 | Sentenced to death in 2003 | Nicknamed the "Red-Dress Killer"; committed dozens of robberies and murdered young women walking unaccompanied at night through dimly lit streets in Wuhan. | [10] | ||
| Fa Ziying, Lao Rongzhi | 1996–1999 | 7 | 7 | Executed by shooting in 1999 (Fa) Executed by lethal injection in 2023 (Lao) | Con artist couple who committed a series of crimes—involving kidnapping, robbery, and murder—between 1996 and 1999. Fa was arrested and executed in 1999, while Lao went on the run and was captured 20 years later. Lao was executed in 2023. | [11] | ||
| Gao Chengyong | 1988; 1994–2002 | 11 | 11 | Executed in 2019 | Known as the "Chinese Jack the Ripper"; raped and murdered 11 women over the course of 14 years. In some instances, he mutilated the victims postmortem, removing their hands, breasts, and reproductive organs. He was apprehended in 2016 after 14 years of inactivity, due to DNA evidence. | [12] | ||
| Gong Runbo | 2005–2006 | 6 | 28+ | Executed by shooting in 2006 | Between 1996 and 2004, Gong served a prison sentence for raping a 15-year-old girl. After his release, he murdered six children in Jiamusi over the course of 11 months and molested at least five others. While Gong was at an Internet café (where he had met most of his victims) on 28 February 2006, a boy escaped his apartment and notified the police. In his home, they discovered the decomposing remains of four children. He was then arrested and executed on 31 December. | [13] | ||
| Guo Longhai | 1995–2001 | 14 | 14 | Executed by shooting in 2002 | Served a prison sentence from 1983 to 1990 for raping a female co-worker. After his release, he began murdering women after becoming acquainted with them, which later escalated to rapes and murders of young girls and prostitutes. | [14] | ||
| He Tiandai | 2013–2014 | 10 | 10 | Sentenced to death | Nanny who fatally poisoned ten elderly people she was hired to take care of. | [15] | ||
| Hu Daoping | 2003–2005 | 7 | 7 | Executed by shooting in 2006 | Escaped from prison while serving a sentence for robbery. While on the run, he committed additional robberies, killing seven people in the process. | [16] | ||
| Hua Ruizhuo | 1998–2001 | 14 | 14 | Executed by shooting in 2002 | Murdered fourteen prostitutes in Beijing after discovering that his girlfriend was secretly working as one. | [17] | ||
| Huang Yong | 2001–2003 | 17 | 25+ | Executed by shooting in 2003 | Convicted of murdering 17 teenage boys in Henan, although he confessed to his final would-be victim that he killed "at least 25." His victims were lured from Internet cafés and arcades to his home on the pretext of job offers. | [18] | ||
| Jia Jianhu | 1998–2003 | 12 | 12 | Executed by shooting in 2004 | Murdered twelve prostitutes across China as revenge for perceived wrongs society had done to him. | [19] [20] | ||
| Li Guangjun | 2006 | 7 | 7 | Sentenced to death in 2007 | After serving a lengthy prison sentence for rape, Li raped and murdered seven women in areas along National Highway 310 between February and November 2006. His first victim was his estranged wife's sister, whose home he visited to ask for help locating her. In a 2008 prison interview, Li claimed that he did not consider himself a murderer and said that he killed women who were "unfaithful to their husbands." | [21] [22] | ||
| Li Pingping | 1995; 2002–2003 | 7 | 7 | Executed by shooting in 2004 | Murdered his former manager, Song Shutian, in 1995, along with Song's wife and daughter. Between 2002 and 2003, he murdered four prostitutes he met outside of karaoke bars. | [23] | ||
| Li Shikang | 1999 | 6 | 6 | Unknown | Blamed doctors for being unable to cure his STD and held the paranoid belief that his children would be infected by regular contact. Due to this frustration, he sent bombs to the homes of doctors and a clinic, killing six and injuring 17 others. He was later apprehended, but the outcome of his trial is not publicly known. | [24] | ||
| Li Wenxiang | 1991–1996 | 13 | 13 | Sentenced to death in 1996 | Nicknamed the "Guangzhou Ripper"; murdered and mutilated impoverished sex workers. He was captured after one of his intended victims survived and identified him to the police. | [25] | ||
| Li Yijiang | 1994; 2002–2003 | 7 | 7 | Executed by shooting in 2004 | Committed his first murder at the age of 14. Later, in 2002, he was gang-raped by four men he had met through an online pornography website. After the rape, he lured each victim separately to their deaths. He also killed two others during this period. | [26] | ||
| Li Zhanguo | 1991–1995 | 11 | 11 | Sentenced to death in 1995 | Raped and murdered 11 mentally ill teenagers and young men in Henan. Sentenced to death and executed at an unknown date. | [27] | ||
| Liu Mingwu | 1992; 2001–2002 | 23 | 23+ | Executed by shooting in 2002 | Vagrant beggar who killed other beggars due to his hatred of the homeless, whom he described as being "dirty and smelly." After being spotted with a blood-stained knife, he freely confessed to the murders, though he said he had lost track of how many he killed. Investigators were able to tie him to a minimum of 23. | [28] [29] | ||
| Long Zhimin, Yan Shuxia | 1983–1985 | 48 | 48+ | Executed by shooting in 1985 (both) | Long and his wife, Yan Shuxia, lured people into their home on the pretext of meeting high-paying employers, then killed them and buried their remains on the property. | [30] | ||
| Luo Shubiao | 1977; 1990–1994 | 19 | 19 | Executed by shooting in 1995 | Known as the "Rainy Night Butcher"; Luo murdered and mutilated prostitutes he picked up in Tianhe, Guangzhou, later dumping their bodies in isolated locations. He was also connected to an earlier murder in 1977. | [31] | ||
| Qian Yongchang | 1959; 1974; 1994–1995 | 15 | 15 | Executed by shooting in 1995 | Qian pushed a co-worker off a cliff in 1959 to cover up an affair. In 1974, after being released from prison for numerous thefts, he committed two robbery-murders. Later in life, he went on an extensive crime spree, killing 12 people in the process. | [32] | ||
| Shen Changyin, Shen Changping | 1999; 2003–2004 | 11 | 11 | Executed by lethal injection in 2006 (both) | Cannibal brothers who murdered and ate the kidneys of 11 prostitutes with the help of four accomplices. | [33] | ||
| Song Jinghua | 1996; 2005–2007 | 10 | 10 | Executed by shooting in 2011 | After being released from prison for murdering a taxi driver with his older brother in 1996, Song murdered nine women who reminded him of his brother's ex-girlfriend. She had testified at his brother's trial, and Song blamed her for his execution. Song, along with an accomplice, were both executed in 2011. | [34] | ||
| Wang Qiang | 1995–2003 | 45 | 46+ | Executed by shooting in 2005 | In 1990, Wang was beaten to near-death by a group of fellow beggars; he was then taken in by an older man, who taught him that "only by stealing would he get ahead." After following the man's advice, Wang was eventually arrested, and upon his release, he began a crime spree with the help of several accomplices. He was convicted of 45 murders, 10 rapes, and 34 robberies, but he confessed to and is suspected of being responsible for others, including a murder in 1992. | [35] [36] | ||
| Wang Wanming | 1992–1998 | 20 | 20 | Executed by shooting in 1999 | Committed 52 rapes and 20 murders in Shaanxi in the 1990s. | [37] | ||
| Wang Zongfang, Wang Zongwei | 1983 | 20+ | 20+ | Killed during manhunt in 1983 (both) | Brothers who went on a crime spree in 1983, killing civilians, police, and soldiers. Both shot dead in Guangchang County. | [38] | ||
| Xu Guangcai | 1987–1990 | 6 | 6 | Executed by shooting in 1990 | Lured six women from Beijing train stations by offering them jobs or asking them out for dinner, after which he would rape and murder them in remote fields. After police noticed a pattern in the murders, they began a sting operation. Xu was apprehended after attempting to murder an undercover officer and was sentenced to death. | [39] | ||
| Yang Shuming | 1992–1993; 1998–2004 | 9 | 9 | Executed by shooting in 2006 | Nicknamed the "Red-Clothed Killer" due to many of his victims having worn red at the time of their deaths. Yang murdered nine women in Kuangqu, Yangquan, taking a four-and-a-half-year break after the birth of his daughter. He targeted women walking alone at night, stabbing them from behind. His last intended victim survived, and he was apprehended after acting suspiciously during interrogation. | [40] | ||
| Yang Xinhai | 1999–2003 | 67 | 67 | Executed by shooting in 2004 | Nicknamed the "Monster Killer"; Yang was an itinerant laborer who served multiple prison sentences between 1988 and 1999. After his final release, he traveled the country and entered rural homes at night, killing entire families. During an unrelated police inspection of an entertainment venue in Cangzhou, Yang was apprehended. He freely confessed to the murders and allegedly said his motive was revenge against society as a result of a breakup. Later reports claimed that he simply enjoyed murder and quoted him as saying he had a "desire" to kill people. | [41] [42] | ||
| Zhang Jun | 1993–2000 | 28 | 28 | Executed by shooting in 2001 | Robbed 22 stores, killing 28 people and injuring 23 others in the process. Zhang was accompanied by others in some of the robberies. In April 2001, he was sentenced to death and executed a month later. | [43] | ||
| Zhang Yongming | 1979; 2008–2012 | 12 | 12 | Executed in 2013 | Cannibal who murdered eleven men near his home between 2008 and 2012, feeding some of the remains to his dogs and unsuspecting people at a local market, where it was sold as "ostrich meat." In his home, police discovered drying human flesh and eyeballs preserved in wine bottles. Zhang also served a sentence for intentional homicide in 1979. | [44] [45] | ||
| Zhao Zhihong | 1996; 2000; 2005 | 11 | 11 | Executed by shooting in 2019 | Raped and murdered women between 1996 and 2005. His case is notable for the fact that an innocent man was convicted and executed for a murder he committed in a Hohhot restroom in 1996. | [46] | ||
| Zhou Kehua | 2004–2005; 2009–2012 | 10 | 10 | Killed during manhunt in 2012 | Arms trafficker and robber who murdered ten people across China. He was fatally shot by police in 2012 after being designated a class-A wanted criminal by the Ministry of Public Security. | [47] [48] | ||
| Zhou Wen | 2003 | 6 | 6 | Executed in 2004 | Nicknamed the "Taxi Demon"; taxi driver from Anshan who strangled six female passengers with a rope. He wrote a diary for police detailing each of his crimes. | [49] | ||
| Zhou Youping | 2009 | 6 | 6 | Executed in 2014 | Strangled six men to death in hotels. Zhou met his victims on BDSM websites, advertising that he was looking for a "slave" to play erotic suffocation games with. | [50] |