The Teochew-language film Dear You has drawn large audiences in China while prompting discussions about soft power across Southeast Asia. Released on April 30, it has earned over 1.6 billion yuan there.
Shot in the Teochew language from Guangdong province, the movie follows a man who traces remittance letters from Thailand to learn about his grandfather. It also depicts Chinese migration to the region and efforts by the diaspora to maintain its heritage.
One scene shows an elderly schoolmaster risking arrest in 1950s Bangkok while teaching ancestral Chinese to diaspora children. The film has generated varied responses in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Observers in the region have raised questions about China’s political influence among overseas Chinese communities.
