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][2]
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.[2]
Below is a list of recorded serial killers who were active in the country, with Wikipedia articles of their own.
Pre-PRC serial killers
Serial killers active before the formation of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Stripped of his authority and banished to Zhushan County before c. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nicknamed the "Red-Dress Killer"; committed dozens of robberies and murdered young women walking unaccompanied at night through dimly lit streets in Wuhan.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Holmes & Holmes 1998, Serial murder is the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period between the murders The baseline number of three victims appears to be most common among those who are the academic authorities in the field. The time frame also appears to be an agreed-upon component of the definition. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFHolmesHolmes1998 (help)
Petherick 2005, p. 190 Three killings seem to be required in the most popular definition of serial killing since they are enough to provide a pattern within the killings without being overly restrictive. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFPetherick2005 (help)
Flowers 2012, p. 195 in general, most experts on serial murder require that a minimum of three murders be committed at different times and usually different places for a person to qualify as a serial killer. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFFlowers2012 (help)
Schechter 2012, p. 73 Most experts seem to agree, however, that to qualify as a serial killer, an individual has to slay a minimum of three unrelated victims. harvnb error: no target: CITEREFSchechter2012 (help)
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^"宁夏"狗食人"案：主人杀人恶犬吃肉，被处决前还参演过电影" [Ningxia "dog cannibalism" case: the owner murdered and fed his victims to his vicious dog, and also participated in a movie before being executed] (in Chinese). Sohu. 13 April 2020. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022.
^"强奸杀人犯董文语今日在浙江伏法(组图)" [Rapist and murderer Dong Wenyu was executed in Zhejiang today (Photos)] (in Chinese). 163. November 28, 2007. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
^"1995年广东高要投毒案：农妇无差别投毒致死18人，都是迷信惹的祸" [The 1995 Guangdong Gaoyao poisoning case: A peasant woman indiscriminately poisoned 18 people to death, all because of superstition] (in Chinese). Sohu. May 11, 2024.
^"郭龙海覆灭记，夜晚奸杀女性，2001年，如何被军警生擒?" [The story of Guo Longhai's destruction, rape and murder of women at night, how was he captured by the military police in 2001?]. Sina (in Chinese). March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022.
^"太原：罪大恶极九罪犯昨被枪决(组图)" [Taiyuan: Nine criminals were executed yesterday for heinous crimes (Photos)] (in Chinese). Sohu. December 28, 2004. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022.
^"难以置信！男子6年残杀12名卖淫女，却说是为了让她们得到解脱" [Incredible! This man killed 12 prostitutes in 6 years, but sait it was to free them] (in Chinese). Sohu. June 16, 2021. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022.
^"河南一桩男同性恋引发的伦理血案" [Bloody case caused by a gay man in Henan] (in Chinese). Sohu. December 6, 2021. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022.
^""乞丐杀手"刘明武：犯案潜逃沦落为乞丐，逃亡路上又连杀22人" ['Beggar Killer' Liu Mingwu: He absconded and became a beggar, and killed 22 people on the way] (in Chinese). Sohu. 24 August 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022.
^"安徽六安抓获一"乞丐杀手" 嫌犯酿下血案22宗" [A "beggar killer" was captured in Lu'an, Anhui. The suspect was responsible for 22 murders.] (in Chinese). Sohu. 30 August 2002. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022.
^"广州人皮日记案，雨夜狂魔，罗树标 (二)" [The Case of Guangzhou Ripper, The Rainy Night Butcher, Luo Shubiao (2)] (in Chinese). 163. November 8, 2021. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
^"回顾钱永昌：时间跨度最长的杀人犯，监狱老熟人，36年间6进6出" [Qian Yongchang: The murderer with the longest life span, an old acquaintance of prison, 6 in and 6 out in 36 years] (in Chinese). Sohu. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022.
^"1998年陕西采花大盗王万明：52名漂亮女子惨遭毒手，最小的才18岁" [1998 Shaanxi rapist Wang Wanming: 52 beautiful women were brutally raped, the youngest being only 18 years old] (in Chinese). Sohu. 9 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
^"许广才落网记：白天是好员工，夜晚是变态色魔" [Xu Guangcai's arrest: a good employee during the day, a sexist during the night] (in Chinese). new.qq.com. May 23, 2021. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022.
^"老实人杨树明：在警察眼皮底下连杀9人，专挑红衣女，只为找刺激" [Honest man Yang Shuming: Killed 9 people under the police's nose, specifically targeting women in red, just for the thrill] (in Chinese). new.qq.com. January 25, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023.
^Li Wen (September 16, 2014). "长沙一男歌手性虐致6人死亡被执行死刑" [A male singer was executed in Changsha for sexually abusing 6 people]. BBC News (in Chinese). Archived from the original on January 8, 2022.