The movie "Letters to My Grandma" has not only achieved both box office success and positive reviews in China, but it has also been warmly welcomed across Southeast Asia. In Singapore, the wave of enthusiasm for the Chaoshan dialect in this movie is unstoppable. A second round of screenings with eight more shows was scheduled for June 22, and nearly 5,000 tickets sold out in less than an hour. The film distributors have applied to schedule an additional 50 screenings, aiming to expand the number of theaters showing the movie.
On the evening of June 22nd, the Digital Development and Communications Department of Singapore issued a statement, welcoming the lively discussions sparked by this film regarding the dialects and cultural identity of the local Chinese community. The department also expressed delight at the growing interest in dialects among people from all walks of life, especially young people. The statement further promised that the government would continue to engage with industry stakeholders and community members, and would periodically review existing policies to support the appreciation and use of dialects in Singapore.
The announcement also stated that dialect is an important element of Singapore’s cultural tradition and identity. It helps citizens maintain a connection to their cultural roots and community history. The Singapore government has also noticed that people, including the younger generation, have growing interest in learning and appreciating dialects, thereby enabling them to explore their cultural origins more deeply.
Singapore's government departments have made such a public statement at this time, precisely as the local Chinese media outlet 'United Daily News' recently sparked controversy with a series of comments on the book 'Letters to My Nan'. It is worth noting that on the early morning of June 23, 'United Daily News' also reported an announcement from Singapore's government departments, titled: 'Discussion Surrounding ‘Letters to My Nan’ Is Encouraging, Ministry of Digital Affairs: Timely Review of Policies to Support People in Appreciating and Using Dialects'.
On May 10, 2026, in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, the “Century-Old Chinese Aliens’ Letters: A Journey of Light and Shadow – The Film Props Special Exhibition ‘Letters of Affection to Grandmothers’” attracted visitors who took photos. This special exhibition was held at the Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Museum. Using historical materials, film props, and movie photos as carriers, it immersively recreated the stories of Chaoshan overseas Chinese who went to Southeast Asia to seek success and the letters of affection they sent back. Photographed by Chen Chuhong, reporter from China News Service. IC Photo
The announcement from the Singapore Digital Development and Communications Department states that the call from various sectors in Singapore for dialects to be screened more freely in local cinemas has been heard by the government. Under the existing framework, special applications are required for dialects to be screened in their original language. However, the Information and Communication Media Development Agency will handle these applications more flexibly.
For example, regarding the film “Love Letters to Grandma”, the Media Bureau has already supported adding eight more screenings of the Cantonese dialect version after the initial 10 screenings. “If the audience wants to watch it, and if the film producers are willing to apply, we will be open-minded and approve and support even more screenings of the Cantonese dialect version.”
The announcement emphasizes that the government welcomes the efforts made by social organizations, ethnic associations, and cultural entities to maintain the vitality of dialects and to deepen the public's understanding of these dialects. Currently, the government is also supporting the use of dialects in a practical manner, including using dialects to convey important public information, producing programs in dialect, and supporting artistic and cultural creations.
The United Daily News is part of the Huawen Media Group under the New Newspaper Media Co., Ltd. On May 28th, the group's president, Li Huiling, and the deputy editor-in-chief of the United Daily News, Han Yonghong, jointly produced a podcast program. They discussed topics related to family bonds, hometown feelings, and human connections, as inspired by the film. In their program, they highly praised the cultural value of the film 'Letters to My Grandma', stating that the film seemed to serve as a historical lesson on 'Southern Chinese loyalty' for modern Chinese people.
Han Yonghong also writes regular columns, in which she specifically mentions that she went to Chaozhou at the beginning of June to "taste a film in authentic Chaozhou dialect" at Shantou Cinema. In her articles, she explores the cultural identity within Singapore's diverse ethnic communities.
On June 18, 2026, the movie “Love Letters to My Grandma” was released in Hong Kong. Viewers took photos with the poster of the movie at a cinema in Hong Kong. Photographer: Zhang Xiangyi, Xinhua News Agency. IC Photo
On June 22nd, during a podcast program, Luo Wenyan, the vice president of the Huawen Media Group, and Wu Xindi, a senior editorial advisor for the United Daily News, discussed the relevance of the decades-long Chinese language promotion campaign in Singapore (which restricts the use of local dialects in films and television) in today’s context. They called for the government to consider easing these restrictions on local dialects. The movie tickets, available in Chaoshan dialect, were quickly sold out in Singapore.
On the same day, the Digital Development and Information Department of Singapore also issued a statement indicating that it will review its current policies at an appropriate time to support the appreciation and use of local dialects in Singapore.
《To Ah Ma's Love Letter》 - Cantonese dialect original audio version was initially only scheduled for 10 screenings, however the first screening in Singapore sold out very quickly. The distributor then submitted an application to the government and received approval to add eight more screenings from June 25th to 29th.
《A Letter to Grandma》 doesn't have a complex plot, but it precisely touches upon many viewers' most tender feelings. The film tells the story of an elderly woman from Chaozhou who has waited for her husband to return to Southern Seas after many years. However, during a grandson’s search for relatives, she discovers her husband had passed away long ago. For ten years, continuing to send “letters of registration” (correspondence and money) under his name, as well as maintaining the "grandpa" identity, was actually a Thai woman who benefitted from the grandpa's kindness. She silently fulfilled several decades of commitments and protection for him.
As of late June, the phenomenon-shifting Cantonese dialect film "Love Letters to Grandma" has achieved a cumulative box office of over 1.8 billion yuan in mainland China, and is moving towards the 1.9 to 2 billion yuan mark. This low-budget, regional independent film, starring ordinary actors and with only a investment of 14 million yuan, has achieved an astonishing box office success due to its excellent reviews, becoming the biggest dark horse in the Chinese-language film industry in 2026.
In addition, "Love Letters to Granny" is also being released simultaneously in Singapore and Malaysia.
As of June 23, this movie had only been released in Singapore for 6 days, and its cumulative box office had surged to 7.3 million Singapore dollars (approximately 40 million RMB). It not only topped the local box office charts for a single week, but it also overturned industry predictions that Malaysia would lead the box office charts. This became a rare achievement for a Chinese-language film in Singapore's film market in recent years. As of June 22 (the 5th day of its release), Malaysia's total box office had officially exceeded 5.8 million Ringgits (approximately 9 million RMB), with attendance reaching over 110,000 people.
