The issue of "left-behind children and rural education support" is one of the situations the Chinese government is putting efforts to change. But why do we want to create a 10-minute short film in this chaotic and complex media era? There are two main reasons:

Firstly, we hope to align with one of China's most influential public service channels - the public service channel of CCTV News, as the dissemination platform for this project. It is a channel open for enterprises but only with good content. This is why we intent to make this video as a content instead of a commercial.

The second purpose is that during each graduation season Tencent SSV Department will conduct advocacy and recruit more volunteers willing to engage in rural education support at schools. We believe that a good story can inspire more people to engage in public service.

Answer me. The story kicks off with this one sentence.

A kid you thought was a born liar is questioned by his teacher, why lie? Why did he steal the cell phone?

It's a story about left-behind children, lacking companionship, who, when faced with separation, have to steal to get the attention of the adults. Rural teachers, every adult, come and go for a short period of time just to get their internship diploma. Whereas what children want is daily companionship, the irony is that every volunteer teacher who is about to leave, who is not deceiving the children with lies.

In the face of this dilemma, Tencent chose to answer the public with digital teaching to solve the problem of lack of teaching resources in remote mountainous areas. Maybe the method is not yet perfect, but it is right to do it consistently.

Creative Insights

The simple greeting "See you tomorrow" became an unbearable lightness between rural teachers and left-behind children. "Promise" is an important answer in this drama, not just from teachers to children, but from Tencent SSV to society regarding rural education issues. Although digital teaching cannot solve all educational problems, it is better than nothing for now. We have built a bridge. So "see you tomorrow"!

Strategy and Execution

The video was based on a true story. We interviewed ten groups of rural teachers and principals, and shot on location at Mingtian Elementary in Lijiang, Yunnan. With the brand video series on the sustainable train, we plan to produce authentic brand stories over five years. Partnering with CCTV News and using a cinematic style, the video straddled documentary and realism. We hope in five years to edit it into a retrospective show on Tencent Video, presenting SSV's stories of sustainability.

We've always measured the world through the lens of adults—whether it's about dedication, commitment, responsibility, or “well-intentioned lies” discussed in this film.

Answer me:

If you were the teacher in the play, what would you do?

This script is compiled by the agency from firsthand interviews. When I received the script, I decided to bring this story to life using real people.

Throughout the entire production, I manufactured "lies". I made their most beloved teacher leave, which was known to all except the children, and it had a significant result for filming. But I must admit, I feel incredibly sorry for them.

The opening scene, I wanted to pay homage to “King of the Children” by Kaige Chen.

The film is narrated from the teacher's perspective, yet the real struggles' are placed onto the kid.Even his questioning of the adult world, 'Answer me,' is silently addressed through subtitles.

Results and Impact

Total online views exceeded 8.7 million. Weibo topic exposure reached 150 million+. Through quality content, we leveraged free broadcasting by CCTV News and propagation by multiple industry accounts, Tencent News, Tencent Video, etc. The content ranked among the most popular on Bilibili, with over 700,000 views and nearly 70,000 engagements across two videos - active, positive comments. Xinpianchang held the top 1 total ranking for two consecutive weeks.

As of May 31, 2023, Tencent SSV Digital Teaching has covered over 1,000 schools in 22 provinces and over 150 counties and districts nationwide, with tens of thousands of platform volunteers, over 40,000 hours of voluntary teaching, and over 100,000 rural students benefited.