Zhou Kehua

Early life Zhou was born on 6 February 1970 in Ertang Village, part of Jingkou Town in Shapingba District, Chongqing. His parents were considered introverts by other Ertang residents as they kept to themselves, living under impoverished circumstances in an elevated, secluded part of the village. Zhou's father was assigned to Ertang's Pingshan production team as an accountant from his original hometown, reportedly as a form of exile due to "poor lifestyle practices", while his mother was a recent divorcee who already had two children. The family had no other relatives in the area and shunned contact with other villagers, never attending marriages or funerals.

Despite his parents' reputation, Zhou was regarded as an honest child, if lacking manners, and affectionately called "Hua'er" ("华儿"), which stuck as a nickname into adulthood. He spent most of his childhood outside because his parents frequently argued over finances at home, usually hanging out at the Jialing River with his best friend Chen Qihong. The boys spent long times swimming and holding their breaths underwater, also fishing for crabs, which they then ate raw on the riverbank, contributing to Zhou's lasting interest in wilderness survival. In September 1991, Zhou stole 120 yuan in cash, coupons for 50 kilos of grain, and a double-barreled hunting rifle, his first gun, from a private residence in Jingkou Town. Sometime after, he attempted to join the People's Liberation Army, but failed the physical fitness exam. In March 1993, Zhou was travelling through Wuhan and found in possession of the previously stolen rifle during a police inspection in Jiang'an District. He refused to hand over the gun and fired a single gunshot into the ground before fleeing. Zhou was arrested the same day and convicted of violent obstruction of public service, receiving a two-year sentence of re-education through labor at a facility in Hannan District. He was released one month early for good behaviour on 20 February 1995 and gained employment as a porter and forklift operator at the freight container bay of Chongqing East railway station. He was well-liked by colleagues, who remembered his calmness during poker games, though noting his insistent habit of squatting in a corner by himself during lunch.

In 2005, he was jailed again for arms trafficking, and sentenced to 3 years in prison in Yunnan.

Su-Xiang-Yu serial murders Zhou Kehua is suspected to have killed ten people and robbed millions of yuan in Jiangsu, Hunan, and Chongqing between 2004 and 2012.

In media A Touch of Sin, a 2013 anthology thriller film written and directed by Jia Zhangke, features a character loosely based on Zhou Kehua.