Chinese Box Office Hit Sparks Identity Debate in Singapore
Saturday, 2026/06/27161 words3 minutes2242 reads
Dear You, a Chinese box office hit, has sparked an unexpected debate in Singapore. The film was made almost entirely in Teochew, a dialect from China's Chaoshan region that is still spoken by older Chinese generations in Southeast Asia.
When the movie arrived in Singapore this month, most screenings were dubbed into Mandarin. This disappointed many locals who wanted to experience the film in its original language. Tickets for the few Teochew screenings sold out in less than two hours.
The situation has reignited discussion about Singapore's long-standing language policy. Since the 1980s, the government has promoted Mandarin over Chinese dialects. This campaign has been highly effective. In the 1980s, nearly 70% of Singaporeans spoke dialects at home. By 2020, that number had dropped to just 8.7%.
Many people now believe it's time to reconsider this policy. Young Singaporeans are showing growing interest in their heritage and ancestral languages, though experts worry it may be too late to reverse the decline.
