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.

After I came back [to China], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do.

Just look at the statistics: Each university has tens of thousands of applications for students who want to be in art school, but they can only accept a few hundred.

We have to give our opinion, we have to say something, or we are a part of it. As an artist I am forced to say something.

We move so fast that memory is something we can only grasp

Choices after waking up: To be true or to lie? To take action or be brainwashed? To be free or be jailed?

The Internet is the best thing that ever happened to China. It turns us into individuals and also enables us to share our perceptions and feelings. It creates a culture of individualism and exchange even though the real society doesn't promote it. There isn't a single Chinese university that can invite me to give a talk. Even though I know there are many students who would like to hear what I have to say.