Film bridges gap between Chinese and Argentines

Luckily, thanks to the help of their local friends, each of those difficulties was finally turned into results that were beyond expectations, the director said.

Chinese stores have been a part of the Argentines' daily life; therefore, this film has commanded considerable public attention soon after it premiered earlier this year.

Its humorous storytelling and unique perspective have made it popular among Argentinian audiences.

Seeing its popularity in his country, the director heaved a sigh of relief. He said by putting two Argentinians into the shoes of those Chinese store owners, the film aims to invite the audience's empathy.

All the difficulties experienced by the two characters in Xiamen must have been experienced by the Chinese Argentines. The film is successful as long as people who watch it can set aside stereotypes they've held about this group, Marcello said.

Chinese Argentines are hard workers but the first-generation immigrants were generally of poor language skills, which limited their communication with the locals.

Now many of them have carved out their own careers, which are more diversified. Unlike their parents, the second-generation Chinese Argentines branched out into professions like law, accounting and even politics. They have made huge contributions to the social and economic development of Argentina. They've come a long way and I know how hard it has been, the director said.

As part of the 2019 Spanish Day celebrations, the film was screened to the Chinese audience at the Cervantes Institute in Beijing on the evening of June 22, 2019.

Argentine ambassador Diego Ramiro Guelar, who was also at the screening, shared with chinadaily.com.cn that in the end of the film, due to insurmountable difficulties, Facundo closed the store and flew back home, but his failure can help him reevaluate his attitude towards the Chinese immigrants.

"The most important message of the film is related to the understanding of what it means to be an immigrant. He (Facundo) failed but he can sure have a higher value of the effort of the immigrants from China's Fujian province," the ambassador said.

The ambassador also noted that amid rising nationalism in today's world, the film can remind us that for any country that is receiving immigrants, it is a blessing, because those people have a strong willingness to work and to sacrifice in a new country.