I never regret anything.

I deal with students every day - from China, Germany, the United States, Hong Kong and Taiwan. And I've noticed that the Chinese students are the least trained in having a sense of aesthetics. They lack any ability to sense what is beautiful or what is proper. They can be learned and skillful, but they lack the ability to make their own free judgment. It is really sad to see young adults of 20, 25 years who were never taught to make their own decisions. People who can't do that don't get a sense of responsibility. And if you lack a sense of responsibility, you push the blame onto the system.

In my case, I was stuck there for quite a while. New York is large enough to be a very abstract city, so nobody cares.

Any individual can contribute its own belief. And our society or even our government are made by the people. The people would have the final voice, but it requires each individual to act. If we don't act, then the result is very clear. So for too long Americans take liberty as granted. We think we are in the safe hand, the democracy and the liberty, which is not true. And it can be even getting much worse than today.

It's really rubbish that some kind of "technical" learning means you will be a better person because you know this skill better.

I don't think there is a distinct change, because in the West I'm not a person who can serve his purpose.

Art is always about overcoming obstacles between the inner condition and the skill for expression.