Ma made a number of short films before breaking through to wider success with A Grand Canal in 2013.

[5] Ma's planned first feature film was Ten Thousand Happiness, for which he won the Beijing International Screenwriting Competition in 2013 and Telefilm Canada's Pitch This!

[2] After difficulty securing financing, he put it on hold and proceeded with Old Stone, a script he was developing as his potential second film.

[2] At the 5th Canadian Screen Awards, Old Stone was also a nominee for Best Picture; Ma was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Set in San Sebastián del Oeste, Mexico, the short is centred around a letter Ma writes to his mother, voiced over in Mandarin.