In the end, I think, the state's rigidity is a function of its own insecurity, its indecisiveness.

My angst and my insecurity reflect the state's angst and insecurity. The state is scared too.

If it's possible, I will have some noodles in the morning and start talking to people, start to think about a few things in my head - the project or a few ideas which are not finished or if there are possible directions and what will lead into another game. It's always like setting up some kind of game you can continuously play.

[Being unique] gives so much privilege to people who can make it, rather than having some moral and aesthetic discussions.

I think it’s a responsibility for any artist to protect freedom of expression and to use any way to extend this power.

To survive, China had to open up to the West. It could not survive otherwise. This was after many millions have died of hunger in a country that was like North Korea is today. Once we became part of global competition, we had to agree to some rules. It's painful, but we had to. Otherwise there was no way to survive.

Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of what the future was going to be like.