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The 2026 Teochew film Dear You has made quite the stir in Chinese circles, from becoming a massive hit in China to accidentally starting a debate in Singapore on dialects and culture at large, and also caused a rush for tickets to watch the Teochew version of the film. After being unable to access the Golden Village website for the first round of extended screenings, my mum managed to snag some tickets for the second round, and so we (sans my dad) went to GV Vivocity on a Sunday to watch it. Spoilers ahead. Since I watched the Teochew version, I’ll be spelling names as such. The film covers various perspectives: a man (Den Bhagseng) who leaves China in search of a better future for himself and his family, the wife (Iap Sogriu) and kids he leaves behind, the people he leaves an impact on during his time in Malaya and later Siam, and his grandson (Hiou-ui) who unintentionally kickstarts this whole journey of uncovering the truth. Very much a typical Asian family drama on paper, so why exactly did it blow up? One must consider that Teochew is not a language spoken frequently, not just in Singapore and other Chinese diasporas but also in China outside of the Chaoshan region in eastern Guangdong. In addition, the Teochew spoken in the film apparently is different enough that elderly Singaporean Teochew speakers themselves could not fully understand the dialogue without subtitles. This reminds me of my first (and so far only) trip to my late paternal grandfather’s hometown in Hainan Island as a teen, where I distinctly remember my dad talking about bread using the word “roti”, only to learn that it was not a word our distant relatives used (fairly obvious in hindsight). Not quite the same in my case, but all these should help illustrate the odds a film like Dear You should have faced in trying to garner mass appeal in China, which is more ethnically diverse than it appears on the surface, let alone overseas to the point of sparking discussions on culture. Getting back on track, the Singapore government’s Speak Mandarin Campaign caused films in other “dialects”, particularly Cantonese films from Hong Kong, to be released only in Mandarin, so what about Dear You prompted Singaporeans (including myself) to clamour for the film to be screened with the original Teochew audio? I’d say it’s mainly out of nostalgia, particularly for elderly Singaporean Chinese who may themselves have had to make the perilous boat trip down from their hometowns. I appreciated the efforts taken to preserve what is essentially the heritage of not just Teochew immigrants but Chinese immigrants in Southeast Asia, but I didn’t find myself particularly attached to the characters. The struggles that our elders went through is something that we learn about throughout schooling, and the forced assimilation of Chinese people in Thailand as shown was not a foreign concept as I’d read about similar government regulations in other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and the Philippines. What I gravitated towards (perhaps because letters remind me of the very tear-jerking Violet Evergarden) was the qiáopī. Letters like those had to be really precious considering that they not only contained money sent by overseas Chinese to their families back home, but the words themselves brought joy, relief, comfort or closure to the recipients who might have held on to hope of seeing their loved ones again. This becomes the central plot device that sparks Hiou-ui’s search for his grandfather Bhagseng, whose passionate (if at times lewd) letters to his wife Sogriu demonstrate his unwavering desire to return home, and which are continued in secret for decades after his unfortunate death by Zia Lamgi, a Thai Chinese innkeeper who first meets Bhagseng shortly after his arrival in Siam. No wonder the Mandarin title 给阿嬷的情书 literally translates to “Love Letters for Grandma”. This then culminates in the now elderly Sogriu learning the truth from Lamgi’s adopted son Zeghua (who Hiou-ui ends up finding instead of his grandfather), and flying over to Bangkok to meet Lamgi who unfortunately suffers from dementia. Their conversation when Lamgi recalls Sogriu again was the closest I was to tearing up watching the film. Coming back to the question of what made Dear You so different to achieve this level of success, I’d like to make a callback to my thoughts on Wong Kar-Wai's Chungking Express and say that beyond the nostalgia-baiting, Dear You is well-executed (though rough around the edges - I was not a fan of the early shots of Hiou-ui in Bangkok that may have been shot on a phone). Director Lan Hongchun and his team have made the most of a supposedly shoestring budget (it’s no blockbuster, but SGD$2.67 million is still no joke) to tell an authentic tale of love and sacrifice, cliched as it might be. And there's nothing wrong with that. I’ve come to realise something in recent years - perhaps cliches exist because they reflect universal human truths, because enough people from various places and eras have come to the same conclusions. And perhaps embodying these truths is what might be needed to ensure, among many things, the preservation of culture and humanity in a world gradually becoming bereft of them. ~ Wei Feng Cover image: Tatler Asia Images: The Straits Times, China Explorer Tour

Hi folks, Any recommendation for those good, old teochew porridge at coffee shop- Preferably in the west? 24 hr would be a bonus.. Only know of a particular one at toh guan but it stopped selling recently.. TIA!

Dear Forumers, Do you know of any places where I can buy Frozen/Chilled Teochew "Orh Nee" ? Thanks for the advice.

Just to share.. I've found my one of my favorite wkend breakfast place. the old joo chiat teochew porridge that was closed earlier this year can be found at old airport mkt. behind the famous hokkien mee.

looks like posting of maken place closing down is faster than good one that is opening up.

Fyi, those who used to go to Economic Mixed Veg Rice Stall at Blk 341, AMK Ave 1, Teck Ghee Court Stall 13 for above. Plse note stall closed down, heard from guy who took over that the Boss stopped selling. Maybe earned enuff. No change in stall signboard but now selling fish porridge. FR on fish porridge, fish thick slices maybe just open. It is an alternative to fish porridge at Blk 409, AMK Ave 10, Teck Ghee Square where one can Q for up to an hour during peak hours.

Dunno for real or not? Two Chinese temples in Hougang will be collaborating with the PAP Hougang grassroots organization under the charge of Mr Desmond Choo to offer free Teochew porridge to Hougang residents every Sunday morning. Last Sunday, elderly residents of Hougang were treated to a splendid breakfast of Teochew porridge at Bao De Shan Temple (报德善堂) and more goodies are expected to be coming their way. However, in an interview with a Chinese tabloid, Mr Choo insisted that the free porridge has nothing to do with the by-election:

If u are looking for nice braised duck, u can try this store located at Chinatown, a coffeeshop near Fu Ya Shi. I dunno the street name, but the store name I think is 88 teochew duck or something. I wun say it's the best, but definitely worth the $$$, and I personally love it's kway chap & duck soup noodle, meat very tender and soup very nice, with slight herbs taste I be going down again during my lunch time, will update u all again about the full address. Anybody want go down too, can meet up as well

Woohoo! Just saw that this stall moved to Crescent Mall Hawker Centre! The owner usually opens at 5pm at the old place, damn difficult for me to makan during lunch time. Now from 12noon onwards open till 2pm, then 5pm - 10pm (Mon - Sat) so got more choices during lunch .

Hi, Used to go to this stall at Kreta Ayer Hawker Center but seems to close down recently. Do anyone know where are they relocated or closed for good? Many Thanks.

Had an unpleasant dining experience at the restaurant above. Booked a table and ordered the "famous" Roast suckling pig after seeing some good comments on the paper. When arrived, was recommended the set meal which also came with the Roast Pig so went along with it. When served, the roast pig was very dry and tasteless. It looked and tasted like it was reheated many many times over. Next came the most popular teochew Steam promfet, anticipation turned into disappointment because the fish wasn't fresh that spoilt the whole dish. After that, scallops with vegetables was a disaster again with scallops that were not fresh and soaked in salt water, making the dish so salty.....oh my god! Couldn't take it anymore, we asked for the captain to the table. When she arrived, she jus told us that because we were late (8pm instead of 730pm because wanted everyone to arrive and was looking through the menu), they had to reheat and so this is the result. As for the fish, she insist that it is fresh...so we suggested she try it but she refused and told us she can't do anything about it. We left the place without completing our dinner. No other explanations and apologies given...Toatal damage $570 for a horrible dinner. Will never go again.

For those who don't speak or understand Teochew dialect - sorry no way you can enjoy the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFDtxj-R-Qg