Huang Zhiheng was born in mainland China under the name Chen Ziliang sometime in the mid‑1930s. He emigrated to Hong Kong in the early 1970s, during which time he became involved in criminal activity. In 1973, Huang murdered a man over a financial dispute at the victim’s residence in Quarry Bay, Hong Kong. After the killing, Huang fled to Guangzhou, where he attempted to conceal his identity by cutting off the tip of his left index finger and burning his fingerprints.

Huang lived in Guangzhou for several years and married the daughter of his landlord, identified only as Ms. Li. The marriage was opposed by her family, leading the couple to elope to Macau, then under Portuguese administration. In Macau, Huang became immersed in the local gambling environment and was known as a frequent gambler. During this period, he became acquainted with Zheng Lin, the owner of the Eight Immortals Restaurant, and Zheng’s family. Huang was approximately 50 years old when these associations developed.

In 1984, Huang and Zheng engaged in a series of high‑stakes gambling sessions. Huang reportedly won 180,000 patacas from Zheng and his wife. When the family was unable to pay, a verbal agreement was made that the restaurant’s mortgage would be transferred to Huang if the debt was not repaid within one year. Huang later claimed that the family continued gambling and accrued further losses, bringing the alleged total debt to 600,000 patacas. The failure to resolve this dispute would become the stated motive for the killings.

On 4 August 1985, the Zheng family were last seen alive by a delivery worker during the afternoon at the Eight Immortals Restaurant in the Iao Hon area of Macau. That evening, after the restaurant had closed, Huang Zhiheng entered the premises and confronted the family. He demanded immediate repayment of part of the gambling debt, initially asking for 30,000 patacas, later claiming he reduced the demand to 20,000 patacas. When Zheng Lin refused to relinquish ownership of the restaurant, Huang became increasingly aggressive.

According to Huang’s later confession, he seized Zheng’s son and forced the remaining family members to bind and gag one another. During the confrontation, one of the victims allegedly broke free and began to scream, prompting Huang to stab her in the neck with a broken bottle he had armed himself with. From that point, Huang systematically killed nine members of the household, either by stabbing or strangulation. He briefly left the restaurant to lure one of Zheng’s sisters inside, where he killed her as well, bringing the total number of victims to ten.

Over the next eight hours, Huang dismembered the bodies, wrapping the remains in plastic trash bags. He disposed of the body parts by dumping them into the ocean and placing others in dumpsters around Macau. After cleaning the restaurant, Huang retrieved cash and a safe key from Zheng’s body and spent the night at the family’s nearby residence. The following morning, the delivery worker found the restaurant locked, with a note stating it would be closed for three days. When the worker visited the Zheng home, Huang answered the door and falsely claimed the family had traveled to mainland Chin

On 8 August 1985, a swimmer discovered eight severed human limbs at Hac Sa Beach. Initial speculation suggested shark attacks on illegal immigrants, but forensic examination revealed precise cuts, indicating deliberate dismemberment. Over the following days, additional body parts were found, and investigators determined they belonged to multiple individuals. The case drew intense media attention and prompted a search for missing persons.

Macau police eventually traced the remains to the Zheng family, who had been reported missing by relatives. During this period, Huang reopened and continued operating the restaurant, which initially raised little suspicion because he possessed ownership documents and was known to associate with the family. However, police searches of Huang’s financial records uncovered documents belonging to Zheng and student identification cards belonging to Zheng’s children. Huang attempted to flee to mainland China but was arrested on 28 September 1986.

He was convicted of ten counts of murder on 2 October 1986. His arrest and the revelation that he had continued to operate the restaurant fueled urban legends claiming he had used his victims’ remains in food preparation, although no evidence supported such allegations. The final body parts linked to the murders were recovered from a trash dump in 1989.

The day after his conviction, Huang was assaulted by another inmate and hospitalized. While recovering, he attempted to escape but was unsuccessful. On 6 October 1986, Huang provided a detailed confession explaining his motives and actions. On 4 December 1986, he died by suicide, cutting his wrists with a bottle cap while in custody. He left a suicide note and a letter to a local newspaper reiterating that his decision to die was motivated by his chronic asthma, not remorse for the murders.

After Huang’s death, remaining fingerprint evidence conclusively linked him to the 1973 Hong Kong murder. The recovered remains of the Zheng family were later cremated, and their ashes were scattered at sea by relatives. The former Eight Immortals Restaurant was seized by police, resold in early 1987, and later incorporated into what is now the Baxian Hotel.

The ten victims were members of the Zheng family and relatives or associates present at the restaurant, including Zheng Lin, his wife Chen Huiyi, their children aged 7 to 18, Chen Huiyi’s elderly mother and aunt, and Zheng’s cousin who worked as the restaurant’s chef. The victims included an infant among the family members.