Wen was born in Haicheng County, Fengtian Province, Manchukuo (now Liaoning, China), in January 1940.

[1] In August 1997, he was appointed party chief of Liaoning, a position he held until December 2004.

[2] He became chairman of the Standing Committee of Liaoning People's Congress in January 2003, and served until February 2005.

[1] In February 2005, he was appointed vice chairperson of the National People's Congress Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, serving in the post until his retirement in 2013.

[1][3] On 31 July 2021, he was buried in Huilonggang Revolutionary Cemetery in Shenyang, Liaoning.