The conflict which Wei attempted to film centered on a garbage dump in the village that the Chinese government was using, which the village government feared to be threatening to the inhabitants' lives.

The Chinese media reported that Wei was beaten by a group of thirty or more Chengguan (urban management officers) when he attempted to photograph the villagers protesting (by attempting to prevent more garbage being dumped) with a mobile phone (it is not currently known what Wenhua was attempting to use the photographs for). He was beaten inside his car for five minutes and declared dead at a local hospital soon after.