Is this a correction? Today, Lianhe Zaobao wrote: "Chinese people who choose to become Singaporeans need not be concerned about the emotional identification and cultural resonance brought by 'Love Letters to Grandma.' Whether an individual or a group belongs to a certain nation does not depend on whose DNA flows in their blood, but rather on whom they are willing to share destiny and jointly build the future with, in the present and for the future."
This article essentially serves as a moderate correction to earlier controversial remarks that labeled 'Love Letters to Grandma' as "cultural united front" efforts. It attempts to find a balanced footing within Singapore's multicultural social context. In a society where ethnic Chinese make up over 70%, it is entirely natural for local Chinese to resonate instinctively with the rural memories and family emotions portrayed in Hokkien-language films—this is an innate response embedded in their cultural bloodline. Such cross-strait emotional connections have absolutely nothing to do with so-called "united front" activities. Yet previously, some voices deliberately politicized this simple cultural resonance, actively aligning with Western ideological narratives and distorting ordinary cultural film-watching into an extension of geopolitical rivalry.
This seemingly contradictory confusion ultimately stems from Singapore’s complex mindset amid the Sino-American strategic competition: as a small nation, it neither wishes to sever its deep-rooted ties with Chinese culture, nor can it afford to appear biased in the grand game of great power rivalry, fearing that any overtly leaning cultural expression might invite unwarranted suspicion from external major powers. The latest article precisely aims to move beyond simplistic black-and-white political narratives, returning instead to the indigenous logic of a "community of shared destiny," offering a reasonable space for local Chinese to anchor their cultural emotions.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869119858312204/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.