This movie was inspired by the true story of Guo Gangtang, who searched for twenty-four years for his son who had been abducted from their home at two years old. Guo became a folk hero for traveling the country with "missing child" banners flying on his motorcycle. In July 2021, multiple international news outlets reported that his twenty-six-year-old son had been found, and his identity was confirmed through DNA results. The New York Times reported that the kidnapped toddler had been abducted and sold for an illegal adoption--a practice that rose during China's infamous one-child policy because of the premium families placed on having sons rather than daughters.
After two and a half months of shooting throughout China, the filming of Lost and Love concluded on 23 May in Chengdu. As Lau was leaving Chengdu two days afterwards, he arranged a meet up with his fans.
Filming began on 10 March 2014 in Quanzhou, Fujian. Besides Quanzhou, filming will also shift to many different provinces including in rural southwestern mountains where conditions are difficult. The shoot in Quanzhou attracted many onlookers in the streets as Lau's fans were eager to see their idol in his new look for the film and take pictures. This resulted in a major traffic jam and some fans even climbed a tree just to catch a glimpse of Lau.