Wang Binyu

Wang Binyu (Chinese: 王斌余; pinyin: Wáng Bīnyú; April 30, 1977 – October 19, 2005), was a Chinese migrant labourer executed for murder in China in 2005. His case attracted some sympathy within China and raised inequality issues.

Born in a poor family in Gansu, Wang Binyu went to work at a factory in the neighbouring Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. These two regions are in a dry climate that is in the thinly-populated interior of China, sometimes referred to as "China's Wild West", though geographically they are north-central.

Wang Binyu needed money to pay for an operation for his father; both education and medical care are currently charged for in China. He was working for a subcontractor, who withheld some money and claimed some was owed as expenses. While trying to force the subcontractor to pay him, Wang got into a fight with some co-workers and killed four people. Despite this, his case has attracted some sympathy within China.

In a jailhouse, Mr. Wang said that he wanted to die so that he could no longer be exploited, and expressed remorse for his murders.^[1] Wang hoped that the party and the country would value migrant laborers.^[2] He was executed in October 2005, aged 28.

• In China, the jolt of a life and a death - International Herald Tribune.
• China Elections - To kill him or not? – The case of Wang Binyu
• Convicted migrant worker killer waits for final verdict (China Daily).
• China Digital Times

Debate about inequality in China:

• China warns on wage gap 'unrest' (BBC)
• Income gap in China reaches alert level (China Daily)