Directed by Zhang Shichuan, it was adapted by Zheng Zhengqiu from a real-life patricide in which a deeply indebted man had killed his father for his inheritance.

Emphasizing verisimilitude in its production and advertising, Zhang Xinsheng was initially a modest success but was later censored for its graphic violence.

[2] Capitalizing on the coverage, which also included stage performances and works of "news fiction" (新闻小说),[2] the Mingxing Film Company began adapting the case to screen.

Advertising material emphasized that the film had been shot at nineteen different locations, offering "a sense of realism [that] cannot be achieved for stage plays.

"[3] Cheng Bugao, a viewer who later became a director with Mingxing, recalled that the film had offered close-up shots of the autopsy and the removal of organs – made using flour and red ink – and thereby disgusted audiences.

[17] Facing such pressure, Mingxing amended several scenes in mid-1923, emphasizing the culprit's remorse and highlighting the deleterious influence of gambling and narcotics.

[12] The company only achieved financial stability following its next film, Orphan Rescues Grandfather (1923), a major commercial success for which one distributor offered up to nine thousand yuan (equivalent to ¥890,000 in 2019) for distribution rights.