Who Is Lan Hongchun (蓝鸿春)? The Director Behind Dear You (给阿嬷的情书) and His Chaoshan Trilogy

When the Teochew-dialect film Dear You (给阿嬷的情书) crossed ¥1 billion at the box office on May 24, 2026, it caught the whole Chinese film industry off guard. Made on a shoestring budget of around ¥14 million, it was a classic "三无" (sān wú) film: no stars, no big budget, and no marketing. It featured an almost entirely amateur cast, was shot in a regional dialect most of the country doesn't understand, and yet it scored a 9.1 on Douban, becoming the year's highest-rated domestic film.

To the outside world, it looked like a miracle. But for its director, Lan Hongchun (蓝鸿春), this was no overnight success. Born in Shantou in 1985, Lan had spent the better part of a decade quietly toiling in his home region of Chaoshan, making small, deeply personal films that almost no one outside the province saw. The sudden explosion of Dear You was not a fluke; it was the result of years of accumulated effort, a perfect example of the Chinese idiom for a talent that reveals itself in one spectacular moment after a long period of silence.

一鸣惊人 (yī míng jīng rén) — "One Cry that Startles All"

Meaning: To achieve sudden and remarkable success.

Origin: This idiom’s story is rooted in the court of King Zhuang of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period. For the first three years of his reign, the king issued no laws and engaged in no politics, spending his days in pleasure. A minister, daring to speak in riddles, asked him: "On a hill there is a bird that for three years has not spread its wings, nor has it flown or made a sound. It is silent. What kind of bird is this?" The king replied, "Though it has not flown, once it flies, it will soar to the heavens. Though it has not sung, once it sings, it will startle the world." Soon after, the king reformed the government, executed corrupt officials, promoted loyal ones, and led Chu to become a dominant state. The bird’s single, startling cry (一鸣惊人) became a metaphor for a long-dormant power finally unleashed.

Connection: Lan Hongchun’s career is a modern version of King Zhuang’s bird. Before Dear You soared to the heavens, he directed two other films that were, for the most part, heard only within the Chaoshan region. His "Chaoshan trilogy," as it's now known, is a patient progression focused on family pillars: father, mother, and finally, grandmother. The first, Proud of Me (《爸，我一定行的》, 2018), was billed as the first theatrical film released entirely in the Teochew dialect and earned a respectable ¥47 million. The second, Back to Love (《带你去见我妈》, 2022), earned ¥23.74 million and a 7.4 on Douban. These were not flops, but they were quiet flights, far from the national stage. For eight years, Lan was the silent bird on the hill. With Dear You, he finally sang — and the whole country heard the song he had been working on all along.

Use it: Use this idiom to describe someone who, after a long period of obscurity or quiet work, achieves a sudden, brilliant success that takes everyone by surprise.

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Lan’s path was never that of a typical filmmaker. He had no formal film-school training. After university, he spent six years at Phoenix TV as a documentary maker, honing his craft not in classrooms but in the real world. When he decided to make his first feature, he didn't have studio backing; he was funded by his high-school classmates. He founded his own small media company in 2016 and stayed rooted in his hometown of Shantou, far from the industry hubs of Beijing and Shanghai. This was a career built from the ground up, brick by brick, a slow and deliberate process of mastering a craft before showing it to the world.

厚积薄发 (hòu jī bó fā) — "Thick Accumulation, Thin Launch"

Meaning: To achieve great success after a long and thorough period of preparation.

Origin: This phrase comes from the writings of the great Song dynasty poet Su Shi (苏轼), also known as Su Dongpo. In a letter, he advised a younger writer that true mastery comes from extensive reading and deep accumulation (厚积) of knowledge. Only after this long period of preparation can one's expression, whether in writing or any other art, flow forth effortlessly, as if it were a "thin launch" (薄发). The idea is that the final act of creation is merely the tip of an iceberg of stored-up learning, experience, and reflection. It champions patient, deep work over flashy, superficial output.

Connection: Lan Hongchun’s entire pre-directorial career was a period of 厚积 (hòu jī). His work at Phoenix TV was not a detour but the foundation. It was during the making of his years-long documentary series Sihai Chaowei (《四海潮味》), about global Teochew cuisine and the Chaoshan diaspora, that the seeds of Dear You were planted. This project was his "thick accumulation," taking him to over ten countries and into the homes of hundreds of overseas-Chinese families. He wasn't just filming recipes; he was collecting the oral histories of a people scattered across the globe but still tied to home. This is where he first heard stories of the "benevolent lie"—of families continuing to send letters and money in the name of a deceased relative to spare those back home the pain of truth. That accumulated experience is where the film's story came from.

Use it: Apply this idiom to situations where years of unseen hard work, study, or practice culminate in a seemingly effortless or sudden breakthrough.

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The authenticity that critics and audiences praised in Dear You was not accidental. It came from Lan's documentary-maker instincts and his deep respect for the history he was depicting. His preparation was exhaustive and practical, grounded in tangible reality rather than artistic abstraction. He was not just telling a story; he was excavating a culture.

脚踏实地 (jiǎo tà shí dì) — "Feet Stepping on Solid Ground"

Meaning: To be practical, down-to-earth, and work in a steady and focused manner.

Origin: This idiom embodies a core Confucian value of earnest, pragmatic effort. Its imagery is plain and concrete: feet (脚) planted firmly (踏) on solid (实) ground (地). It contrasts a grounded, realistic approach with fanciful, empty talk or building castles in the air. The phrase gained currency during the Song dynasty to praise scholars and officials who achieved results through diligent, step-by-step work rather than seeking shortcuts or fame.

Connection: Lan Hongchun’s method is 脚踏实地 in practice. To understand the world of his characters, he spent a full day at the Shantou Qiaopi Cultural Museum and personally studied thousands of real qiaopi letters—the historical letter-and-remittance documents that are central to the film's plot. He compiled his research into a tens-of-thousands-of-words "Siam life guide" for his cast and crew to ensure every detail of the 1940s-60s immigrant experience was authentic. This groundedness is also personal. His own hometown elementary school, Zheng Hui Primary School, was built with donations from an overseas Chinese man who made his fortune in France. This tangible link between diaspora success and hometown prosperity is a story Lan knew not from books, but from his own life. His feet have always been on the solid ground of Chaoshan culture. It is why Dear You feels less like a story being told than a history being handled with care.

Use it: This phrase is perfect for praising a person or an approach that is realistic, hardworking, and focused on tangible progress rather than abstract ideals.

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Lan’s commitment to authenticity extends to his filmmaking philosophy. He works less like a modern director and more like a traditional craftsman, valuing patience, precision, and a deep, almost spiritual connection to his materials—in this case, his culture and his actors. He has a way of working that defies industry convention but produces work that's hard to argue with.

匠心独运 (jiàng xīn dú yùn) — "A Craftsman's Heart, Uniquely Applied"

Meaning: To show ingenious and original creativity in one's craft.

Origin: This idiom celebrates the unique ingenuity of a master artisan. It breaks down into the craftsman's (匠) heart-mind (心), which is uniquely (独) put into motion or operated (运). It suggests a creativity that is not just clever but deeply felt and skillfully made. The phrase evokes the image of a skilled woodcarver or poet whose work bears an unmistakable, personal signature, a mark of genius that cannot be replicated.

Connection: Lan himself draws this parallel, stating, "Like Chaoshan woodcarvers and embroiderers, [my work] relies on meticulous craftsmanship (精工细作)." His 匠心独运 is most evident in his casting. He overwhelmingly chooses first-time, amateur actors from the Chaoshan region. He is not looking for polished technique but for "信念感" (xìnniàn gǎn)—a sense of conviction, a soul that resonates with the story. He then gives them "unlimited retakes" to draw out natural, unforced performances. This method is slow and painstaking, but it allows the film to feel lived-in, populated by real people, not actors performing. His unique vision is also thematic. As he says, "Chaoshan culture is the vehicle; loyalty, affection, and family are the core." He uses the specific cultural details—from the precise way to brew gongfu tea to the meaning behind character names like 阿嬷—to access universal human emotions.

Use it: Describe a work of art, design, or strategy that is not only skillfully made but also brilliantly original and inventive.

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Making three feature films in a niche dialect over eight years, with no guarantee of commercial success, requires a level of stubborn belief that few possess. Lan Hongchun’s journey was not a smooth ascent. It was a long, patient act of carving, chipping away at his project year after year, driven by a deep commitment to the stories of his homeland.

锲而不舍 (qiè ér bù shě) — "Carve and Not Stop"

Meaning: To persevere with a task until it is complete; to be steadfast and unyielding.

Origin: This idiom comes from the classical Confucian text Xunzi. The philosopher Xun Kuang wrote, "Metal and stone can be engraved. If you carve and give up, you cannot break even rotten wood; if you carve and do not stop (锲而不舍), you can engrave metal and stone." The character 锲 (qiè) refers to the act of carving or engraving. The phrase captures the essence of relentless effort, suggesting that persistence is the key that can unlock even the most seemingly impossible challenges.

Connection: Lan’s entire career has been an act of 锲而不舍. He has explicitly framed his work as a ten-year commitment, stating, "Having chosen to deeply cultivate Chaoshan-culture films, I won't be half-hearted." He resisted the temptation to move to a film hub or make more commercial Mandarin-language films, preferring, in his own words, to "farm my small plot well and grow small, beautiful flowers." This perseverance is mirrored in the very plot of Dear You. The character Xie Nanzhi maintains her compassionate fiction for 18 years, from 1960 to 1978, writing letters and sending money in a dead man's name. It is an act of incredible, selfless endurance, a quiet carving away at an impossible promise to keep a family's hope alive. Both the director and his characters refuse to give up — one building a film career a movie at a time, the other sustaining a family a letter at a time. Some things, it turns out, get built the same way: one careful cut after another, for as long as it takes.

Use it: Employ this idiom to describe someone's unwavering determination in the face of a difficult, long-term goal, be it in study, work, or personal conviction.