Wang Zongfang and Wang Zongwei

Wang Zongfang and Wang Zongwei
王宗坊
王宗玮
Zongwei (left) and Zongfang (right), depicted in a composite image from their portraits on wanted posters
BornWang Zongfang: 1952 or 1953
Wang Zongwei: 1956 or 1957
Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Died18 September 1983 (aged 30 and 26)
Guangchang County, Jiangxi, China
Other namesNortheast Er Wang (东北二王)
Years active12 February – 18 September 1983
MotiveRobbery
Reward amount
¥2,000
Details
Date12 February 1983
17 February 1983
23 March 1983
CountryChina
States
Killed10
Injured11+
WeaponsFour Type 54 pistols

Wang Zongfang (Chinese: 王宗坊; 1952 or 1953 – 18 September 1983) and Wang Zongwei (Chinese: 王宗玮; 1956 or 1957 – 18 September 1983), commonly called Er Wang (Chinese: 二王; lit.'Two Wangs') were a pair of Chinese brothers, robbers, and serial killers who committed a series of robberies across northeastern, central, and eastern China.

Following a botched hospital robbery that killed four people, the Wang brothers fled their hometown and spent seven months travelling southwards through China as bandits. They killed five people along the way in three more shootings in Hengyang and Wuhan before being surrounded in an extensive six-day encirclement within a large forest near Fuzhou, Jiangxi. The Wang brothers were killed in a shootout with military and police forces after killing a member of the search team.

The Wang brothers were the first criminals in modern-day China to be assigned a bounty by the Ministry of Public Security, a system previously abolished since the founding of the People's Republic of China. Due to their crimes taking places in several different provinces, the brothers achieved national infamy during a time when reports on criminal cases were largely limited to local coverage.

The "Er Wang case" ("二王事件"/"二王案") or "Er Wang mass murder case" ("二王特大杀人案") was considered a major driving force behind the start of the Strike Hard Against Crime Campaign, and as part of the widespread campaign for their capture, military and police were aided by civilian tip-offs. In reports on their deaths, American media commonly compared the Wang brothers to Wild West outlaws.