China student discovered on video platform shines as heroine in acclaimed film ‘Dear You’

When 'Dear You', a low-budget Teochew-language story of migration became one of China’s biggest films in late spring and early summer, its lead actress Li Sitong, who played Zia Lamgi, became a university graduate and said she wished to continue her acting career.The film directed by Lan Hongchun tells a story of a young Teochew man travelling to Thailand to search for his estranged grandfather Ten Baksheng, and ending up discovering that he had long been dead and it was his friend, Lamgi, who sent love letters to his wife Iap Sok-jiu, for nearly two decades.The film was produced for a reported 14 million yuan (US$2 million), and has taken nearly 2 billion yuan at the Chinese box office.Following the sweeping success of her cinematic debut, Li is eager to pursue future acting opportunities. Photo: bjnews.comNot only did Teochew people resonate with the film, reliving their family memories that also involve a diaspora and remittance letters called qiaopi, young Chinese across the country were moved by the story.One commented Dear You was “the best Chinese film in the past five years”.Li, who delivered a critically acclaimed and natural debut performance as the independent innkeeper’s daughter, Lamgi, has earned widespread praise for bringing the character to lifeLan scouted the first-time actress on social media after reportedly interviewing over 1,000 young women for the role. Dissatisfied with the initial auditions, he and his casting team searched a short-video platform for “20-year-old local Chaoshan women,” successfully training the algorithm to recommend their ideal Lamgi.There they discovered Li, a native of the Chaoshan (Teochew) region in southern China’s Guangdong province, a second-year student in financial engineering at the Guangdong-university-of-finance-and-economics" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="166801" data-entity-type="organization">Guangdong University of Finance and Economics.Li has garnered widespread critical acclaim for her natural and nuanced portrayal of the independent innkeeper’s daughter Zia Lamgi. Photo: bjnews.comThe team sent Li several messages. Li initially thought it was a scam, but they managed to reassure her of its validity. Her parents also accompanied her to the audition, worrying about her safety.Li said she was moved to tears by the story, and “tried to control the urge to cry” during the audition.Lan asked for Li’s Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality score in an interview, and said Li’s ranking of INFJ – people who are introverted, intuitive, trust their feelings and judgment – is how he imagined Lamgi to be.Li’s only experience of performing had been street dancing at the university’s student club, but Lan chose her for her “exceptional ability to empathise with her character”.Further ReadingLan also designed a special filming technique for Li. The first scene she filmed was deeply emotional and involved Lamgi sending a letter about Baksheng’s death to his wife at the post office.Such scenes can be extremely difficult for an inexperienced actress, so Lan staged the entire group at the post office before having Li stand there, helping her immerse into the story as if it were really happening around her.The beautiful writing of Lamgi seen in the film is from Li’s own hand.Showcasing her real-life artistry, the beautiful handwriting featured for Lamgi’s character in the film belongs to Li herself. Photo: bjnews.comLi said the director’s set-ups helped her feel Lamgi’s emotions, adding that the experience also improved her confidence in acting.With the film a national hit and its appeal widening to more Southeast Asian countries, Li has been rewarded with a more personal success after recently graduating from university.She also represented other new undergraduates by making a speech at the graduation ceremony.Li said she would like to pursue more acting opportunities.“A person is not defined by their major; they should bravely pursue what they love regardless of what they study. The rational thinking that finance taught me allows me to see reality’s complexities more clearly, and better appreciate Lamgi’s kindness,” Li said.