Wu Bingyuan and Wang Yongzeng, technicians at the Harbin Electric Meter Instrument Factory, were sentenced to death on January 1, 1968, for distributing a leaflet deemed as a counter-revolutionary act during the Cultural Revolution.
The two men distributed a tabloid titled “Toward the North,” which contained Mao’s quotations along with two additional sentences deemed as a vicious attack on Chairman Mao. This led to their designation as the main criminals of a counter-revolutionary group in Heilongjiang Province.
At a sentencing meeting attended by thousands, Wu Bingyuan and Wang Yongzeng were sentenced to death and executed immediately. In a final act of defiance, Wu Bingyuan closed his eyes tightly as he was paraded through the streets and taken to the execution ground.
Photographer Li Zhensheng documented the execution, capturing the brutal scenes of the eight criminals being shot to death. The haunting images stayed with him for years, causing him distress whenever he encountered reminders of the tragic event.
Today, Wu Bingyuan’s sigh before his execution serves as a reminder of the darkness that shrouded China during the Cultural Revolution. The story of Wu Bingyuan and Wang Yongzeng continues to resonate with many, highlighting the brutal realities of that tumultuous period in Chinese history.