2026-09-30
Li Sitong’s Path Into Xie Nanzhi
Li Sitong’s first film role was Xie Nanzhi in Dear You. She was chosen after a riverbank farewell audition, then prepared by reading the script closely, studying the era, and using the 120,000-word Siam Life Guide to imagine the period. The qiaopi remittance-office scene was her first scene after joining the production, and she read Nanzhi and Musheng as comrades who support each other rather than lovers.
How the audition led to Xie Nanzhi
Li Sitong said the crew first contacted her during casting, and the offline audition asked her to play the riverbank farewell scene between Nanzhi and Musheng. This was her first film, and she was cast after the director felt the emotion she delivered was exactly what he wanted.
The casting process itself was unusually long. A report on the film says Lan Hongchun again worked with non-professional actors, spent more than 70% of early preparation time on casting, and needed nearly nine months to finish the selection process. Li Sitong entered the role through that extended search, not as a performer with prior screen credits.
Preparing with script and period detail
Li Sitong described her preparation in straightforward terms: read the script carefully, understand the story’s historical setting, and study Nanzhi’s life experience and temperament. Her approach focused on placing the character in her own time before deciding how to play her reactions.
The script materials made that work more concrete. The screenwriter wrote a 120,000-word Siam Life Guide covering history, qiaopi origins, food, housing, entertainment, clothing, shops, and street-level speech. Li Sitong said the guide helped her form a mental image of Siam in that era and brought her closer to the character’s state.
How the first scene helped her enter the role
Li Sitong’s first scene after joining the production was a major one: the qiaopi remittance-office sequence where letters and remittances are sent. That placed her immediately inside one of the film’s key emotional and practical settings, rather than easing her in with a lighter scene.
A 1905.com report also said the director designed immersive situations for the qiaopi-office scene and kept guiding her to listen, look, and feel. Another scene in Siam required more than thirty takes while the team waited for the right light around four or five in the afternoon. The process shows how the film linked performance with space, timing, and patience.
How she reads Nanzhi’s relationships
Li Sitong’s view of Nanzhi is tied to action rather than romance. She said Nanzhi first wanted to send the death notice, but after seeing the hardships of fellow migrants at the qiaopi office, she became more certain about her choice. She also connected Nanzhi to Shurou through the long wait for letters and return dates.
On the central relationship, she was direct: Nanzhi and Musheng are not lovers. She called their bond pure and said comradeship was the better word. In her reading, Musheng saved Nanzhi and her father, while Nanzhi’s letters and work supported Shurou’s family across the sea, making mutual support the core of the relationship.