Xinhai targeted individuals hailing from nearby provinces in the Central region of China, such as Henan, Anhui, Hebei, and Shandong. His victims were predominantly farming families residing in rural areas. He would carefully select his victims and subsequently cycle to their homes under the cover of darkness to commit his crimes.

Xinhai frequently altered his choice of murder weapon, perhaps as a strategy to evade law enforcement. He would use ordinary objects like axes, shovels, hammers, and knives, or any sharp object he could find at the scene of the crime.

Yang confessed to committing 67 murders and 23 rapes and was put to death by firing squad only four months after his arrest.

Yang had no qualms about slaughtering entire families, including the young and the old.

The general consensus is that Yang has been responsible for 22 attacks, in which 65 people were killed

In October of 2002, he snuck into a rural home and used a shovel to beat the father to death. Immediately following, the six year old daughter suffered the same fate. He preferred to save the woman until last, so he could sexually assault her without interruption.

In December of the same year, another family fell victim to Xinhai. Liu Zhongyuan, a grandfather, and his wife lived in their adult son's house in Liuzhuang Village, Henan. Their son, Liu Zhanwei, in his thirties, was married with a son and a daughter. The family had high hopes as they were about to move into a new home in just three days, but that dream was never meant to be realized.

On the fateful night of December 6th, Liu Zhongyuan made the decision to stay in the new house while the rest of his family remained in the old one. Little did he know that it would be the last time he saw his entire family alive.

Under the cover of darkness, Xinhai stealthily entered the family's home around midnight. Once inside, he mercilessly attacked the entire family, striking them in the head and face with a hammer, resulting in the instant deaths of Liu Zhanwei, his wife, and their children.

Xinhai's death toll surpassed that of several notorious American serial killers, including Ted Bundy, Ed Kemper, and John Wayne Gacy. Remarkably, the residents of the four provinces where Xinhai committed his heinous acts remained oblivious to the presence of such a prolific murderer in their midst.

Why did the public remain uninformed about this looming threat to their safety? It is believed that the Chinese government withheld information about Xinhai's crimes, fearing it would tarnish the country's image in terms of internal security. Even police officers in the affected provinces refrained from discussing Xinhai's atrocities due to directives from the Ministry of Public Security, which prohibited any commentary or disclosure of information related to Xinhai in the media.

The Chinese government habitually restricts the flow of information to the public. To exacerbate matters, law enforcement officers have incentives to report low crime statistics in order to secure salary raises and promotions.

Artistic and imaginative, Yang created drawings and sketched ideas for films and stories he someday wanted to create. His notebook of choice was the Mead black and white journal books. He also talked and wrote a lot about a place called 'Plato Flats,' a fictional setting for stories centered around murder.

Yang was born in 1968 and died in 2004 — both years of the Monkey in the Chines Zodiac. People born in Monkey years are said to be clever and creative, crafty opportunists, sharp and smart, witty and intelligent, as well as naughty.

While at a nightclub, Xinhai found himself in an unexpected encounter with a group of police officers conducting their routine patrol. His peculiar behavior in their presence piqued their interest, prompting a more thorough investigation. As a result, they apprehended him and obtained his DNA profile, subsequently linking him to numerous murders across the neighboring provinces. Faced with this compelling evidence, Xinhai confessed to committing 65 murders and 23 rapes.

Xinhai took measures to conceal his actions by wearing shoes of varying sizes and styles for each of his crimes. Following each assault or murder spree, he would bury the weapon and dispose of his clothing either through incineration or by tossing them into a nearby river.