A five-minute trailer titled "What is Peppa?" is all the rage in China these days. The story, full of family affection, resonates with many minds bent on returning home for reunion as the Chinese New Year draws near.

The story started with a phone call ahead of the New Year reunion dinner. A grandpa living in the countryside knew that his beloved grandson living in a city wanted a "Peppa" (also called "Peiqi" in Chinese) for the New Year. "What is Peppa?" the grandpa said, lost in thought, before trying his best to search for the mysterious "Peppa".

What is Peppa? The grandpa asked.

He looked it up in the dictionary but couldn't find it. He asked for help through the village broadcasting system and was told various answers, such as a camgirl called Peiqi, Peiqi Shampoo, and a kind of chess game ("chess" has a similar pronunciation to the "qi" in "Peiqi"). But none of them seemed to be the right "Peppa".

UK's cartoon character Peppa Pig

Luckily, he finally got the answer from his sister-in-law who had been working in Beijing for some time. "It's a pig, in red, like a blowing machine."

The grandpa decided to make a "Peppa" himself. At the New Year dinner, to everyone's pleasant surprise, he presented an air-blower-shaped pink Peppa!

A steam punk-style Peppa Pig made by the grandpa

In the end, the family went together to see the movie "Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year". Only then did people know that the trailer turned out to be a promotional video for this animated film.

The trail, mixing laughs and tears, is considered to be one of the best current advertisements and the first viral hit of 2019. It has been viewed tens of millions of times and has got numerous online comments.

The film integrates the UK's popular cartoon character Peppa Pig with the Chinese New Year, also known as the Year of the Pig according to the lunar calendar.

Zhang Dapeng, who directed "What is Peppa?", said that what the trailer wanted to express are family, reunion, harmony and love. "What is Peppa? It is a generation gap, and also a reflection of a real Chinese rural area".

Zhang is also one of the directors of the upcoming film "Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year" produced by Alibaba Pictures and Entertainment One. The film is scheduled to show on Chinese New Year, which will fall on February 5 this year.

Why is "What is Peppa?" so popular? Here are some online messages that are representative to some extent.

Yingzhe: I laughed at the beginning but burst into tears in the end.

Anruo: A Punk Peppa and amazing Garage Kits!

April: I have never seen the cartoon "Peppa Pig", but now I want to see the movie.

Xuexue: Miss my grandpa!

Liu: What really matters is family love rather than "What is Peppa?".

Uncle Pigeon: It's a story ahead of the end of the handicraft generation.

Xihuantiaogao: The best ever promotional video for the Chinese New Year!

Frank: Every grandpa is omnipotent in front of his grandchildren.