China let out a collective sigh of relief as Zhou Kehua, a fugitive suspected of killing nine in armed robberies since 2004, died in a shootout with police in Chongqing Tuesday morning.

Yet, when looking back, the country has seen a number of other alarmingly violent villains whose crimes sent cold shivers down people's spines.

Here, China.org.cn has compiled a top ten of most brutal criminals that have been executed since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949:

   Long Zhimin  龍治民

In May 1985, Long Zhimin, a farmer from Yangyuhe Town in Shangluo City, Sha'anxi Province, was found to have committed the most horrific crimes since 1949. He had killed 48 people at his home and had buried their corpses in three pits he had dug in his courtyard. He robbed the victims of a total of 573 yuan (US$195). After he was discovered and caught, he was still never found to be mentally ill. The man and his wife Yan Shuxia were executed in September, 1985.