"Dear You": Chinese migration to Thailand story tops 1bn yuan in China
A modest Chaoshan-dialect drama with mostly unknown actors has become a national talking point after strong audience support lifted its cinema run.
- The low-budget Chinese film "Dear You" has become a surprise box office hit, earning over 1 billion yuan (US$146 million) primarily through word-of-mouth recommendations.
- The movie tells the story of a man from China's Chaoshan region who migrates to Thailand in the 1940s and maintains a bond with his wife back home through letters and remittances ("qiaopi").
- Its success is considered a breakthrough for a Chaoshan-dialect film, as it was achieved without major stars or a large promotional campaign, relying instead on strong public and critical acclaim.
China’s low-budget word-of-mouth hit Dear You had taken more than 1 billion yuan, or about US$146 million, by Sunday morning, according to ticketing platform Maoyan, marking a breakthrough for a Chaoshan (Teochew)-dialect film led largely by unfamiliar actors.
The film opened on April 30 with only 3.6 per cent of nationwide cinema screenings and earned 3.77 million yuan on its first day. Its fortunes changed as audience recommendations built momentum. By Sunday, Dear You had led China’s daily box office for 15 straight days, while its share of screenings had risen to 48 per cent.
Its rise has stood out because the production did not rely on a celebrity-heavy team, headline actors or the large online promotional campaigns commonly used for major cinema releases. Instead, it has exceeded expectations through strong public response, winning praise from filmgoers, bloggers, critics and filmmakers.
On Douban, the Chinese review platform, Dear You has a score of 9.1 out of 10, placing it among the highest-rated domestic films of the past decade. Its success has also turned into a wider cultural debate in China, with discussion focusing on why the film has resonated so strongly and what it may suggest for the country’s cultural and creative industries.
The film was directed by Lan Hongchun, who comes from the Chaoshan region of southern China’s Guangdong province. Reportedly made for just over 10 million yuan, it has been praised for its emotional sincerity, realistic storytelling and unusually persuasive performances by little-known actors, especially its lead, a 20-year-old finance student with no previous acting experience.
At the heart of the story is the tradition of “qiaopi”, the letters and remittances sent back home by earlier generations of overseas Chinese in the 19th and 20th centuries. These records provide the emotional link between the film’s main characters. UNESCO added the “qiaopi” archives to its Memory of the World Register in 2013.
The plot follows Zheng Musheng, who leaves his Chaoshan hometown for Southeast Asia during wartime in the 1940s and later settles in Thailand. He regularly sends letters and money to his wife, Ye Shurou, who stays behind to raise their children. After Zheng dies overseas, Xie Nanzhi, a Thailand-based woman of Chaoshan descent who has become his friend, decides not to tell Ye immediately and continues sending letters and remittances in his name.
Across nearly 20 years, Ye and Xie remain strangers divided by the sea, yet they become quietly bound together through letters, money and acts of care.
Maoyan and film data platform Beacon now expect Dear You to finish its cinema run with close to 1.8 billion yuan at the box office, after both platforms raised their forecasts several times.
Chinadaily
