Some have expressed concerns that the Teochew-language film signals a new, more subtle phase of propaganda aimed at the overseas Chinese community.
Filmed in the Teochew dialect from the Chaoshan area in southern China’s Guangdong province, the story follows a man who uncovers his family history by tracing remittance letters sent from Thailand.
As he reconstructs his grandfather’s life, the film also delves into Chinese migration to the area and the diaspora’s efforts to maintain their cultural heritage.
In one sequence, an elderly teacher risks arrest in Bangkok during the 1950s to secretly instruct diaspora children in their ancestral Chinese language.
Since its release on April 30, the film has drawn massive audiences and earned over 1.6 billion yuan (US$236 million) in China.
However, it has also ignited a discussion across Southeast Asia regarding China’s soft power and political sway over Chinese communities abroad.
The reaction has differed across the region—from Chinese-majority Singapore, to Chinese-minority Malaysia, to Thailand and the Philippines, where Chinese communities are more assimilated into broader society.