Dear You
2026 word-of-mouth hit · Chaoshan-language cinema

Dear You

Lan Hongchun's third Chaoshan-language feature turns a 14 million yuan production into a Douban 9.1 breakout with 348 million yuan in real-time box office. Through Qiaopi letters, Southeast Asian Chinese migration, and nonprofessional performances, Dear You turns women's loyalty and family memory into a love letter across oceans.

Read the story See cut scenes Track the breakout
Breakout identity

A 14 million yuan Chaoshan film that became a Douban 9.1 phenomenon

Start with the film's identity and momentum: a small budget, powerful word of mouth, Chaoshan dialect, real overseas-Chinese story roots, and Qiaopi letters that turn a regional story into a wider diaspora conversation.

9.1

Douban word of mouth

Public reports recorded a 9.0 Douban opening score that rose to 9.1 with more than 200,000 viewers rating the film.

14M yuan

Low-budget breakout

With a reported 14 million yuan budget, the film became a striking 2026 case of audience-driven box-office momentum.

348 million yuan

Top-nine annual box office

By 15:16 on May 16, 2026, the film had reached 348 million yuan including presales, entering the top nine of the 2026 annual box office chart.

Trilogy finale

Chaoshan trilogy

After I Am Sure I Can and Take Me to See My Mom, Lan Hongchun's third Chaoshan-language feature expands local family feeling into Qiaopi letters, kinship, and migration memory.

Production scale

14 million yuan

The small production scale makes the film's national discussion and strong box-office lift especially notable.

Cultural motifs

Qiaopi / South Seas / nonprofessional cast

Qiaopi culture, the historical movement to Southeast Asia, and everyday performers define the film's cultural signature.

Film Facts

Stable facts shared by Douban and IMDb references

A compact profile for search engines and international fans: platform IDs, original title, runtime, release, languages, production company, and source links.

Douban subject

37116446

Chinese rating, short reviews, long reviews, and audience discussion entry. This site links out and does not reproduce user comments.

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IMDb ID

tt41791573

International film-data entry for the English title, original title, runtime, languages, and credits.

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IMDb original title

Gei A Ma de Qing Shu

The romanized original title helps English-language search connect Dear You with the Chinese film title.

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Runtime / Release

118 min / April 30, 2026

IMDb lists an April 30, 2026 China release; this guide also keeps the May 3 nationwide-release milestone.

View release info
Country / Languages

China / Chaozhou, Mandarin, Thai

IMDb records Chaozhou and Mandarin, while Chinese public materials also point to the Thailand storyline and Thai context.

View details
Production company

Damai Entertainment

The production-company field from IMDb is useful for English SEO and Movie structured data.

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Story and Qiaopi

A two-timeline family search opened by one Qiaopi letter

The film does not rush to explain every twist. It lets Qiaopi letters, South Seas migration history, and the loyalty between two women carry the emotional weight.

Story

Qiaopi are more than props; they are world memory

Qiaopi combined family letters with remittance records sent home by overseas Chinese and were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2013.

Story

Two timelines place mystery beside history

The present-day Thailand search carries comedy and suspense, while the historical timeline brings in South Seas migration, Chinese-language education overseas, and family wounds.

Story

Light spoilers preserve the aftertaste

The guide keeps the film's major reversals softened, using phrases like Qiaopi truth and decades of silent guardianship instead of spelling everything out.

Present day: a search in Thailand

To repay family debts, Xiaowei travels to Thailand looking for a long-lost grandfather rumored to be wealthy, only to find a family mystery underneath the comic setup.

Past timeline: crossing to the South Seas

The 1940s storyline follows Musheng as history pushes him toward Southeast Asia, turning one man's displacement into a memory shared by many Chaoshan families.

Core motif: Qiaopi letters

Qiaopi were letters and remittance records sent home by overseas Chinese. In the film, one sheet of paper carries kinship, trust, separation, and longing for home.

Cut-scene focus

Across the stream, two blade-like letters, and the Chaozhou opera Yujiaolong

These restrained cut scenes became key points of discussion because they reveal how much emotion the film chooses to leave unsaid.

Most-discussed tear point

Across the stream

Xie Nanzhi returns to Chaoshan carrying Musheng's spirit tablet and sees Shurou from across a stream during wedding preparations. She chooses not to disturb Shurou's peace and leaves in silence.

Douyin video · A cut-scene entry for the across-the-stream moment, kept with its original platform context. Open the original Douyin clip
Fan-discussion focus

Two blade-like letters

Shurou's letter urging her husband to remarry and Nanzhi's final letter before memory loss form the missing emotional thread many viewers keep asking about.

Cut-scene report · Public reporting on kapok imagery, letter foreshadowing, and editing choices. Read the cut-scene report
Women's inner strength

The Yujiaolong opera echo

The exchange about the Chaozhou opera heroine Yujiaolong frames Nanzhi and Shurou as women who retain agency and dignity under historical pressure.

Cut-scene report · Background on the opera-within-the-film and its link to female solidarity. Read the Yujiaolong section
Nonprofessional performers

Everyday faces give Dear You its strongest sense of truth

The cast story is part of the film's appeal: a finance student, a local Chaoshan creator, and an unemployed young man become part of the movie's lived-in texture.

Li Sitong

Young Xie Nanzhi · Sophomore finance student at Guangdong University of Finance and Economics

Lan found her after seeing her in short-form video during a long search. Her lack of formal acting polish became part of Nanzhi's vivid naturalness.

Wu Shaoqing

Older Ye Shurou · 84-year-old local Chaoshan creator

Known for a more outward style in daily life, she delivers restrained emotional force under Lan's direction, including an improvised line that became a central tear point.

Wang Yantong

Zheng Musheng · Unemployed young man

His plain, street-level sincerity made him feel close to an ordinary young Chaoshan migrant pushed abroad by history.

Full Credits

Director, writers, cinematography, editing, and music

Beyond the nonprofessional performer story, these credits make the guide stronger for search and source checking. Credits are indexed through IMDb and public film-data pages and can be extended with official materials later.

Director

Hongchun Lan

Writers

Hongchun Lan / Leng Yang / Xuanxuan Zheng / Liyun Zhu

Cinematography

Tao Hai

Editors

Hongchun Lan / Dong Peng

Music

Yihan Li / Zehua Wu / Leng Yang

Production company

Damai Entertainment

Role additions

Li Sitong · Young Xie NanzhiWang Yantong · Zheng MushengFang Peisong · Xie Nanzhi's fatherLi Deru · Xiaowei's auntLi Shuhao · Xiaowei's uncleUsha Seamkhum · Older Xie NanzhiWang Xiaohui · Young Ye ShurouWu Shaoqing · Older Ye ShurouZhao Shuguang · Xiaowei's uncleZheng Runqi · Xiaowei
Market response and organic buzz

From only 1.6% opening-day screenings to a top-nine 2026 box office title

Dear You rose through the kind of audience-driven momentum that matters: low initial screenings, high ratings, family-memory sharing, and viewers recommending it across platforms.

1.6%

Opening-day screenings

The film opened with only 1.6% of screenings, then kept climbing through audience recommendations and platform discussion.

348 million yuan

Real-time total box office

By 15:16 on May 16, 2026, Dear You had reached 348 million yuan including presales and entered the top nine of China's 2026 annual box office chart.

10M+

Admissions

Seventeen days after release, more than 10 million viewers had seen the film, turning word of mouth into real theatrical attendance.

1B yuan potential

Forecast raised

As daily box office hit new highs, public reports began mentioning forecasts that could push the film past the 1 billion yuan mark.

9.0 -> 9.1

Douban score rise

The Douban score opened at 9.0 and rose to 9.1, reinforcing the film's identity as a high-reputation release.

#LingeringAftertaste

Organic social buzz

Short-video topics and social posts around family letters, grandparents, and diaspora memory continue to amplify the film.

Box Office Live and History

Latest manual snapshot plus the breakout timeline

This uses a hybrid mode: a manually updated snapshot and stable historical milestones. If a reliable data source appears later, a script can generate JSON without making the frontend depend on anti-scraping endpoints.

Latest box office snapshot

2026-05-16 15:16

Total box office 348 million yuan

Including presales, entering the top nine of China's 2026 annual box office chart.

Same-day live box office 52.57 million yuan

At 14:17 on May 16, 2026, it set the film's highest single-day record so far.

Admissions 10M+

Seventeen days after release, cumulative admissions passed 10 million.

Forecast box office 1B yuan range

Public reports noted that Maoyan and Beacon forecasts had both moved into the 1 billion yuan range.

Opening-day screenings 1.6%

The film started with very limited screenings, then broke out through word of mouth.

Historical milestones

China theatrical release

The film entered cinemas from a low-screening, regional-word-of-mouth starting point.

Douban score rose to 9.1

Public reporting recorded the rise from a 9.0 opening score, stabilizing the film's high-reputation identity.

Mother's Day daily box-office champion

Family viewing and organic recommendations combined, and the film began leading daily box office.

Box office passed 279 million yuan

It entered the top ten of China's 2026 annual movie box office chart as its daily share kept expanding.

Passed 300 million and reached annual top nine

Total box office reached 348 million yuan, admissions passed 10 million, and forecasts moved into the 1 billion yuan range.

Sina Tech / Fast Technology 348 million yuan total, 52.57 million yuan same-day live box office, 10 million admissions, and 1 billion yuan forecast context. Open report GamerSky / Maoyan Pro 279 million yuan, 300 million yuan milestone, 1.6% opening-day screenings, Mother's Day top rank, and 1.036 billion yuan forecast. Open report National Business Daily / Beacon Pro As of 15:16 on May 16, 2026, total box office reached 348 million yuan including presales and entered annual top nine. Open brief
Reactions and Organic Buzz

Tearful reactions, lingering emotion, and grassroots recommendations are widening the film's reach

For now, this section collects verified videos and platform entries. When you provide specific crying reactions, Xiaohongshu notes, or Weibo links, they can be added as cards without copying platform comments.

Tearful reaction · Tears / aftertaste

My Wife Shurou emotional edit

An embeddable clip-and-edit entry that carries the audience's tear-point discussion into the page.

Bilibili · Edogawa Yuanfangsang

Watch on Bilibili
Audience recommendation · Organic buzz / family memory

Douyin discussion and short-video buzz

The original platform keeps comments, likes, and creator context intact, so viewers can return to the complete discussion.

Douyin · Topic entry

Open Douyin topic
External source
Industry / review analysis · Review / market

How Dear You broke out with a small budget

Industry commentary explains how a low-screening film grew through word of mouth and audience trust.

1905 · 1905 Movie Network

Watch the commentary
Media materials

Trailers, clips, commentary, and soundtrack links

Public film profiles, commentary videos, soundtrack links, and future official clips are collected here. Platform content stays linked to its original context whenever embedding is not appropriate.

Bilibili video · Collected

My Wife Shurou

Embedded through Bilibili's player, this clip works as a gateway to audience reactions, emotional edits, and fan discussion.

Source: Bilibili · Edogawa Yuanfangsang

Open source
Open source
Trailer · Collected

1905 film profile and trailer entry

A quick entry point for the 118-minute runtime, release details, director, writers, cast list, and official video material.

Source: 1905 Movie Network

Open source
Open source
Film commentary · Collected

How Dear You broke out with a small budget

Industry commentary that helps explain how word of mouth turned a modest production into a larger conversation.

Source: 1905 Movie Network

Open source
Open source
Soundtrack · Collected

Dear You Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

A seven-track soundtrack entry featuring Toy Captain, Yang Leng, Chen Jia, and other music connected to the film.

Source: Apple Music

Open source
Coming soon
Film clips · Coming soon

Cut scenes and official clips

Future official clips will be collected here so viewers can revisit the across-the-stream scene and other behind-the-scenes threads.

Source: Future official materials

Follow updates
Douyin video · Collected

Dear You Douyin discussion

Open the original Douyin discussion to preserve comments, likes, creator context, and the platform's social momentum.

Source: Douyin

Open source
Arcade buildings at Shantou Small Park
Photo: Sgnpkd / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Thai Buddhist Hall at Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple
Photo: Thyj / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Filming locations

The Chaoshan of Dear You is more than one street

The location map connects Shantou, Chaozhou, and Jieyang, pairing film scenes with old-town memory and travel routes for viewers tracing the story on the ground.

Shantou Shantou Small Park
Chaozhou Longhu Ancient Village
Chaozhou Thai Buddhist Hall, Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple
Jieyang Mianhu Jiefang Road
Jieyang Xiqi Stone Bridge
Arcade buildings at Shantou Small Park
Photo: Sgnpkd / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Shantou Small Park

Film scene: A historic arcade district that evokes the point of departure and return in South Seas migration memory.

Travel note: A visual shorthand for Shantou's treaty-port history and hybrid urban architecture.

Related topics: Shantou Small Park / Dear You filming location / Chaoshan arcades

Longhu Ancient Village

Film scene: Used to recreate the texture of a 1950s Thai Chinese street scene.

Travel note: Dense Chaoshan clan architecture and old-town lanes make it a slow-walk location for architectural detail.

Related topics: Longhu Ancient Village / Chaoshan ancient village / South Seas atmosphere

Thai Buddhist Hall at Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple
Photo: Thyj / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Thai Buddhist Hall, Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple

Film scene: A visual bridge between Bangkok memory and the Chaoshan homeland.

Travel note: A rare Thai-style Buddhist hall in the region, naturally carrying the film's Southeast Asia and homeland connection.

Related topics: Thai Buddhist Hall Chaozhou / Kaiyuan Temple Thai Hall / Thai-style Buddhist architecture

Mianhu Jiefang Road

Film scene: A street-level setting that carries old-town daily life and Musheng's memory through the frame.

Travel note: A Lingnan townscape that can be paired with food, craft, and old-street walks.

Related topics: Mianhu Jieyang / Mianhu Jiefang Road / Chaoshan old street

Xiqi Stone Bridge

Film scene: A century-old bridge that becomes a quiet symbol of hometown longing.

Travel note: A visit point for film fans and a natural stop on a slower Chaoshan memory route.

Related topics: Xiqi Stone Bridge / Denggang Jieyang / Dear You location

Chaoshan Culture Extensions

From Qiaopi letters to arcades, the film's Chaoshan world keeps opening outward

Locations are more than check-in points. Each culture card connects a film scene, a real place, and keywords for future reading or route building.

World memory

Qiaopi letters and remittances

Qiaopi were both family letters and remittance records, carrying trust, longing, and economic support from overseas Chinese to home villages.

Related topics: Shantou Small Park / Qiaopi references

Read Qiaopi references
Migration history

Crossing to the South Seas

Behind Musheng and Nanzhi is the broader Chaoshan experience of leaving for Southeast Asia to survive. The film places that history inside one family's letters.

Related topics: Longhu Ancient Village / Thai Buddhist Hall

Read South Seas context
Language

Chaoshan dialect and family memory

Dialect makes the characters speak from inside family life rather than through generic lines. For overseas Chinese readers, language itself becomes a route home.

Related topics: Chaoshan old streets / family scenes

View language references
Opera echo

Chaozhou opera Yujiaolong

The reported opera-within-the-film frames Nanzhi and Shurou through a heroine's agency, explaining the sharper edge beneath the film's restraint.

Related topics: Chaozhou / Chaozhou opera culture

Read cut-scene report
Architecture

Chaoshan arcades and old streets

Arcades, stone bridges, and old streets hold the spatial memory of leaving and returning. Fans can connect Small Park, Mianhu, and Xiqi Stone Bridge into a slow route.

Related topics: Shantou Small Park / Mianhu Jiefang Road / Xiqi Stone Bridge

View locations
Southeast Asia link

Thai Buddhist Hall and overseas Chinese memory

The Thai Buddhist Hall in Chaozhou brings Thailand's visual memory back into Chaoshan, carrying the film's movement between Bangkok, overseas Chinese life, and home.

Related topics: Thai Buddhist Hall, Chaozhou Kaiyuan Temple

View place
Platform references

Douban, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and film-source links

Video embeds are used only when official or clearly embeddable. Review platforms, travel notes, and short-video discussions link back to their original context.

1905

Film profile and industry commentary

Read basic film details, release information, and industry-video context.

Open 1905
Douban

Douban movie page and audience comments

Open Douban subject 37116446 for ratings, short comments, reviews, and audience discussion around the film's breakout reputation.

View Douban discussion
Bilibili

Clips and reaction videos

Open the collected Bilibili video and continue into fan edits, reviews, and reaction content.

Watch on Bilibili
Xiaohongshu

Filming-location notes and viewing posts

Find travel notes, audience posts, and route ideas connected to the film's Chaoshan locations.

Search Xiaohongshu
Douyin

Short-video topics and roadshow clips

View audience reactions, creator clips, and topic videos while keeping their original social context.

Open Douyin topic
References

Reports, film profiles, and image credits

1905 Movie Network film profile

1905 Movie Network · 2026-05 · Basic film details including title, English title, runtime, release date, director, and cast.

Douban movie subject for Dear You

Douban Movie · 2026-05 · Douban subject 37116446, used as the entry point for ratings, short comments, reviews, and audience discussion.

IMDb full cast and crew

IMDb · 2026-05 · Director, writers, credited roles, cinematography, editing, music, and production functions.

Dear You Douban score rises to 9.1

Sina Finance / 21st Century Business Herald · 2026-05-08 · May 8, 2026 Douban rating, rating count, screening share, and word-of-mouth information.

Xiaogongyuan.jpg

Wikimedia Commons · 2018-12-25 · Shantou Small Park visual material; Sgnpkd, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Thai Buddhist Hall 01.jpg

Wikimedia Commons · 2016-05-25 · Chaozhou Thai Buddhist Hall visual material; Thyj, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Back to overview Open 1905 film profile