Filmed in 1990-91, it was thrown into limbo when production company Orion filed for bankruptcy in late 1991. After a reorganization, the film finally had its theatrical debut in 1994.
The film's title is explained in this extract from Film Noir of the Week review as follows: "One particularly memorable setting is the lushly romantic setting of a lake. The reflection of the "china moon"--Bodine tells Rachel that his mother used the term for a full moon, under which people would "do strange things," he states--is captured against the smooth, seemingly tranquil surface of the body of water in delicately composed shots".
China Moon (1994) is said to be in the same vein as Body Heat (1981), as a femme fatale wants her husband killed and both films are set in Florida. The respective directors are John Bailey and Lawrence Kasdan. Bailey served as the cinematographer on Kasdan's The Big Chill (1983), Silverado (1985) and The Accidental Tourist (1988).
The film cast includes one Oscar winner: Benicio Del Toro; and one Oscar nominee: Ed Harris.