Chinese Box Office Hit Sparks Identity Debate in Singapore
Saturday, 2026/06/27102 words2 minutes2243 reads
A Chinese movie called Dear You is very popular in China. The movie is in Teochew, a language from China. Many old Chinese people in Singapore also speak Teochew.
When the movie came to Singapore, most cinemas showed it in Mandarin, not Teochew. Many people were sad about this. They wanted to watch it in Teochew. The tickets for Teochew shows sold out very fast.
Singapore has a rule from the 1980s. The rule says Chinese people should speak Mandarin, not dialects like Teochew. Now, many young people cannot speak these dialects. Some people think it is time to change this rule.
