Ning eventually graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2003 with a degree from the Photography Department.

[1] Since his breakout in 2006, Ning frequently re-casts actors who he has worked with, especially Huang Bo and Xu Zheng (as well as himself in cameo roles): In March 2018, a video surfaced showing a dog being abused on the set of the Hao-directed movie Crazy Alien.

[6] A whistleblower claimed that between shots, the dog was worked into a frenzy so he would bark as loudly as possible, and that this had been done on several takes.

[7][8] The director did not give a statement, but Crazy Alien actor Matthew Morrison said he was heartbroken about the abuse.

[9] Ning Hao is married to Xing Aina, who is credited as a screenwriter in all his films since Guns and Roses and No Man's Land.