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From September 2026, Singapore will remove the cap on cinema screenings of dialect movies, provided there is a Mandarin-dubbed version available and the dialect screening carries Mandarin subtitles. So, are dialects coming back? Yes, but perhaps not in the way we think. We may not suddenly start speaking Hakka, Teochew, Hokkien or Cantonese at home again. What is returning is something deeper:  Our desire to reconnect with our roots.  And most importantly, Qing Yi (情义). Language Is the Container; Culture Is What It Carries This is why I believe the greatest beneficiaries of the policy change may eventually be our younger generations.  They may never become fluent dialect speakers.  But dialect can become a doorway: When a young Singaporean asks a grandparent, “What does this Teochew phrase mean?”, something much more important than language transmission can happen. A story begins.  And through that story, values are passed down. This is where dialect films can c...

Dialects Are Coming Back? No. Love Is. With the phenomenal worldwide success of the Teochew movie Dear You , some people have concluded that Chinese dialects are making a comeback. I don't think so. People are not watching Dear You because it is in Teochew. They are watching it because it speaks the universal language of love . If the same story had been told in Mandarin, Cantonese or English, it would still have touched millions of hearts. Because the real power of Dear You is not its dialect. It is its humanity. That humanity is beautifully embodied by three ordinary people. Mu Sheng shows us the love of sacrifice. He works tirelessly, asks for little, and gives everything for his family. Lan Zhi shows us the love of courage. She quietly carries a burden that no one asked her to bear, choosing compassion over convenience for nearly twenty years. Shurou shows us the love of faith. She waits.  She believes. She remains steadfast through decades of uncertainty. Together, they r...

Many people ask why Singaporeans are so passionate about the Teochew movie Dear You . Some argue that cinemas should screen more dialect movies. Others disagree. I believe we are asking the wrong question. The real question is this: In another 30 to 50 years, who will still understand our dialects? Most of the people rushing to watch Dear You in its original Teochew version belong to the older generation. They grew up speaking Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka or Hainanese at home. The dialect in the movie reminds them of their parents, grandparents and childhood. But time is moving on. One day, this generation will no longer be with us. Many young Singaporeans today cannot speak dialects. Some are not even comfortable speaking Mandarin. As each generation passes, another piece of our cultural memory quietly disappears. A dialect is far more than a way of speaking. It carries family stories. It carries humour that cannot be translated. It carries values. It carries affection. It ...