The recent low-budget film Dear You has become one of China’s biggest domestic hits, winning audiences with its nuanced take on the family history of love, friendship, and sacrifice. Without A-list stars, established IP, or a big-name director, the film has truly captivated hundreds of millions worldwide with its use of the Chaoshan dialect. For many, the dialect is more than just a linguistic feature; it brings authenticity to the story and preserves the unique texture of local life.
The film’s success also highlights a broader revival of fangyan, or Chinese regional dialects, in today’s cultural landscape. From rap music and short videos to local TV programs and online influencers, dialects have long played a key role in shaping regional identities and popular culture. Yet this wasn’t always easy.
In the 1990s, dialect-based TV shows and cultural programs were widely popular across the country. But as Putonghua became increasingly dominant in education, media, and public life, many of these programs gradually faded, and dialect-based content struggled to find a place in a cultural landscape that often favors Putonghua or standard Chinese.
So, how have Chinese dialects survived and evolved over the past two decades? And can fangyan find a new role in China’s cultural industries today? In this episode, we sit down with a musician, a filmmaker, and a marketing expert to explore how dialects have shaped Chinese popular culture, how their role has changed over the past two decades, and what the future may hold.
Guests:
Sam X is a musician from the UK who runs a music label in Kunming, Yunnan, blending ethnic minority music with contemporary sounds and often featuring local artists singing in their native languages.
Lam Can-zhao is a Chaoshan-born filmmaker whose Teochew-language debut A Bright Sunny Day (2023), made with non-professional actors, became the first Teochew-language film selected for the Cannes Film Festival.
Jiang Yaling is a marketing expert specializing in Chinese consumer research and strategy. In her Substack, she has explored the rise of dialect influencers.
The following are excerpts from the transcript of the episode (edited for clarity):
04:03
Aladin Farré: How did your use of language differ between private spaces, like family and community, and public spaces, like school and work, while you were growing up?
Jiang Yaling: For people of my generation, we spoke dialect at home with our families, but always used Putonghua in school. I think this was quite common across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. I’ve seen local policies introduced in places like Suzhou and Shanghai to promote Putonghua in schools.
Lam Can-zhao: In my hometown, Chaoshan, we speak Teochew at home, at the local market, and in everyday life. The main language stays the same whether you’re in private or public spaces. You don’t switch languages just because the place changes.
I’ve lived in Guangzhou for 11 years now, and it’s quite different. While Cantonese is the main local language, the city’s huge migrant population means people often switch to Putonghua in public spaces, such as at work or on the subway. How people use dialect really depends on the community you’re in.
08:57
Aladin: Could you share some examples of cultural products, such as TV programs, that used local dialects in the 1990s and 2000s, and what happened to them over time?
Lam: When I was a kid, Teochew comedy skits were hugely popular. Everyone watched them, and kids would imitate them at school performances. But now, as the internet took off, the skits gradually faded from the mainstream. People shifted toward Putonghua content, foreign movies, and variety shows.
11:36
Aladin: Sam, since most of the artists you work with don’t sing in Putonghua, could you tell us more about these artists, the languages they perform in, and how their music has been received both in China and abroad?
Sam: We have bands from various ethnic communities, including Manhu from the Yi culture, Bagedai from the Wa culture, and Wild Mushrooms from the Hani culture. Manhu, for example, sings in a local Yi dialect spoken by around 60,000 people. That makes it difficult to build a large audience in China. Whereas overseas, they’re doing better. It’s difficult to say exactly why; perhaps it’s simply the appeal of the music itself.
15:42
Aladin: Have you watched the film Dear You? What did you think of it?
Yaling: I really liked the film because it sheds light on individual stories, which are often missing from mainstream Chinese cinema, especially films by major directors who tend to explore broader narratives. This movie offers a different perspective. It’s about how personal lives are shaped by generations, history, and the Chinese diaspora.
19:48
Aladin: Lam, why did you choose to make films in fangyan?
Lam: About four or five years ago, I suddenly felt this pull to go back home and tell stories there. I made a short film with my relatives and friends as non-professional actors. I felt that having them perform in our native language was the most natural way to tell those stories.
The film, A Bright Sunny Day, became the first Teochow-language film selected for Cannes. Riding on that momentum, we quickly made a second short, A Summer’s End Poem, which won Best Short at the Berlin International Film Festival. Since then, I’ve continued making dialect films.
21:38
Aladin: Since Dear You became a huge success, have more producers shown interest in making dialect films?
Lam: Yeah, a lot of investors started getting interested in Chaoshan stories. The film made Chaoshan-themed projects feel less risky and turned the region into a new hotspot for filmmaking. People started paying more attention to local stories and local filmmakers.
23:04
Aladin: Yaling, you’ve written about the rise of influencers using their hometown dialects on social media. Could you tell us more about this trend, and why fangyan content is becoming popular online?
Yaling: These creators are bringing more attention to diminishing dialects. I agree with the idea in the 2022 TWOC article that social media could help save Chinese dialects. Language survives through both input and output, and these platforms offer new spaces for people to hear and use dialects. One influencer I’m especially excited about is a Cantonese account. It’s called “A Corgi Who Sells Herbal Tea.” It doesn’t just tell the story of a dog living in a herbal tea shop. The entire story is narrated in Cantonese.
28:41
Aladin: Sam, do any of your bands incorporate dialect learning, skits, or other cultural elements into their work? Or do they mainly focus on music?
Sam: I’d say some of the bands do explain the meanings behind their songs so people can understand what they’re singing. But it’s not really about teaching the dialect or creating a participatory learning experience. It’s more about providing the context.
29:30
Aladin: What do you think the future of dialect will be like?
Yaling: I have quite a pessimistic view on this. I think fangyan may increasingly resemble regional operas, as in, people may consume them in certain scenarios, while fewer people use them in everyday life. As more people move between cities and regions, younger generations may not be able to pick up local dialects as easily.
But at the policy level, I think there are still ways to support dialect preservation, such as connecting dialects with cultural and commercial activities. For example, local tourism can incorporate dialects into the visitor experience, while films and shows like Dear You can continue to bring regional languages into the spotlight.
Sam: I agree with Yaling. I think Fangyan will probably still exist in the next 50 years, but there will be far fewer of them. A dialect needs a minimum population to survive, so many smaller local varieties may eventually disappear. I’ve seen this with ethnic languages in Yunnan; it can take only a few generations for a language to be lost. In Kunming, many kids no longer speak the Kunming dialect. If they don’t speak it, then their children won’t understand it either.
Lam: I feel like dialect films are increasingly being seen as cultural assets for a region. Local governments are stepping in to support them. So even if there’s no market for it, there are still ways to preserve it. And honestly, I think dialect films are also finding their own lane—niche, but international.
