Hit film revives overseas Chinese remittance letters

Near the end of 2022, while searching for ideas for his third film, director and screenwriter Lan Hongchun wandered into a museum dedicated to qiaopi in South China and stayed for an entire day.

Qiaopi — letters and remittances sent home by earlier generations of overseas Chinese — once traveled quietly across oceans, carrying longing and news from distant lives back to families waiting in China.

Lan read every letter on display, then bought stacks of research books. "The more I read, the harder it became to let go," he said.

What moved him most was the emotional force hidden behind the fragile paper — the deep attachment to family and homeland, the resilience and integrity of earlier generations of overseas Chinese.

"I felt I had to tell these stories," Lan said.

Now, they have made their way to the big screen.

Dear You, a low-budget film shot largely in the Chaoshan region of Guangdong province, or Teochew dialect, has become one of China's most unexpected box-office successes this year. As of 5 pm Thursday, it had grossed more than 740 million yuan ($108.27 million), according to Maoyan, a major film data platform, which projected the film's total theatrical revenue to exceed 1.6 billion yuan.

The tear-jerker drama has also struck a chord with viewers, earning a rare 9.1 rating on Douban, China's leading film review platform.

In the film, Zheng Musheng leaves Guangdong's Chaoshan region during wartime and later works in Thailand, hoping one day to return home. His wife, Ye Shurou, remains in South China, raising their children alone.

After Zheng dies overseas, Xie Nanzhi, a Thailand-based woman of Chaoshan descent who had befriended him, hides the truth about his death and keeps sending letters and money to Ye in his name for nearly two decades.

Separated by the sea and having never met in person, the two women become quietly connected through years of letters, sacrifice, and unwavering care.

The emotional depth of the story has offered many younger Chinese audiences a glimpse into the nearly forgotten world of qiaopi.