Born in Jiangsu, Wen came from a working-class background. In 1925, he began working at the Nanyang Tobacco Company in Pudong, where he became involved in labor organizing. He helped establish a clandestine trade union in 1926 and joined the Chinese Communist Party in November of that year. During the turbulent period surrounding the Shanghai massacre of 1927, he played an active role in organizing workers and party activities, holding various positions in grassroots party branches and labor organizations in Shanghai.[2]
In 1928, Wen rose rapidly within the party structure in Jiangsu and Shanghai, serving as a standing committee member of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee. He attended the 6th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party as a representative from Jiangsu and participated in several key committees, including those on political affairs, labor movements, and youth work. After the congress, he briefly visited the Soviet Union before returning to China to continue his political work.[3]
From 1928 to 1929, Wen held multiple leadership roles in labor and youth organizations, including serving as head of the workers' economic struggle department of the Communist Youth League of China and as acting secretary of its Central Committee. He was also active in the All-China labor movement and served in leadership roles within the Jiangsu and Shanghai party organizations.[4]
Between 1930 and 1931, Wen held important positions within the central leadership of the party, including membership in the Central Military Department and participation in the enlarged Third Plenary Session of the 6th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He was elected as a member of the 6th Central Committee and as an alternate member of the Politburo.[5] However, in 1931, he was disciplined by the party leadership for violations of organizational discipline and allegations of corruption, receiving a serious warning. He was subsequently removed from his leadership posts and lost his position as an alternate Politburo member. In 1933, Wen died in the Eyuwan Soviet area (Hubei–Henan–Anhui border region).[6][7]