A flying ace of the Korean War, he served as commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) from 1985 to 1992.

Wang Hai was born on January 19, 1926, in Yantai, Shandong Province.

He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in September 1945 when he was a student at Weihai High School, and studied at Linyi People's Revolutionary University in Shandong.

[3][4] The MiG fighter he flew is exhibited in the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.

[2][5] Wang Hai was a member of the 13th and 14th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party.