The film was filmed near Yan'An, which is considered the motherland of the Chinese cultural revolution.
No. 4 in the Hong Kong Film Awards' List of The Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures
In his 1985 review, Strat of Variety called this "the most impressive film from mainland China unveiled so far in the West."
No. 92 in BIFF's Asian Cinema 100
The second production made at the Guangxi Film Studio in Nanning, which is near the border with Vietnam.