In 1866, missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal church arrived; Wong was baptized and converted to Christianity on December the 16th that year.

When asked his reason for converting to Christianity, Wong remarked on the disparity between the teachings of Confucius and the actions of those who professed Confucianism.

During his missionary time, Wong noted that few Christians lived among the influential people in the area, so he decided to take part in the Imperial Examination.

[8] Believing that government incompetence and corruption had led to the downfall of his country, he met Kang Youwei in Beijing and participated in the Gongche Shangshu movement in 1895.

[7] In 1896, Wong founded the first modern Chinese newspaper called Fubao and advocated socio-political reform and education of the masses.

During his stint, knowing that life was difficult for the people of Fujian, he went to Malaya, Sumatra, and the Dutch East Indies to search for locations for immigrant resettlement and escape from Empress CiXi's authoritarian rule.

In late May 1900, Wong, acting as the harbour master, signed a resettlement contract with the Brooke government for the Rejang Riverbanks area.

However, the new immigrants were not accustomed to the local climate and many fell ill. On top of that, they had to explore new techniques of farming, which made their life more difficult.

To prevent future conflicts, the Brooke government directed immigrants from Fuzhou to develop the area below Rejang Sibu.

In June 1904, Wong passed the managing duties to American minister James Hoover, and returned to Fujian.

There were many rumours regarding his departure, including poor health, his yearning for revolutionary work, huge debts, and his reluctance to deal opium.

He started disseminating revolutionary propaganda in China, and was involved in the planning of the Chaozhou Huanggang Uprising and the promoting of Fuzhou's education and industrialisation.

During his term, he submitted several detailed proposals regarding such matters as the establishment of a coastal police, the promotion of farming and industrialisation, and the prohibition of the sale of opium.

In 1914, Yuan Shi Kai framed Wong for obstructing the "smoke ban" campaign, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In December 1979, Ming Qing County of Fujian built a memorial museum at the Ban Tou River.

On 23 November 2007, during the twentieth anniversary of Hong Kong's Asia Week, Taiwanese author and Taiwan's minister of culture Lung Ying-tai mentioned Wong's accomplishments and expressed her disappointment that not many people knew of him.