A Chinese box office hit sparks a debate about identity in Singapore
Summary
The Chinese film Dear You, made mostly in the Teochew dialect, has become very popular in China and sparked discussions about language and identity in Singapore. Singapore screened the movie mainly in Mandarin, which upset some viewers who wanted to see it in Teochew, a dialect many older Chinese Singaporeans speak. The government has responded by allowing more screenings in Teochew.Key Facts
- Dear You is a Chinese movie filmed almost entirely in Teochew, a dialect from China’s Chaoshan region.
- The film was a box office success in China this summer.
- In Singapore, most screenings were dubbed into Mandarin, one of the country's official languages.
- Older Chinese Singaporeans still speak Teochew, and some wanted the film shown in the original dialect.
- Tickets for Teochew screenings in Singapore sold out quickly, showing strong interest.
- Singapore's government announced it would take a more flexible approach to allowing dialect films.
- The movie tells a story about a man seeking his grandfather who had migrated to Thailand during a Chinese civil war.
- The film has prompted a wider conversation about the decline of Chinese dialects in Singapore due to government promotion of Mandarin.
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