My musician friends are banned from playing concerts in China because they share the same views as I do. My name cannot appear on the web, because my opinion is different from the Party.

[Cultural department] understand nothing but bureaucratic daily affairs. They don't care about culture.

Man has a tendency to try to give clear reasons to be rational, but often you can see how all those reasons are not convincing and turn out to be a big nonsense.

I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets of judgment.

My definition of art has always been the same. It is about freedom of expression. I don’t think anybody can separate art from politics. The intention to separate [the two] is itself a very political intention.

A city is a place that can offer maximum freedom. Otherwise it’s incomplete.

As a human being, member of society, you must clearly state your mind. It's a responsibility. It is the way you identify yourself otherwise you don't know who you are and why you are here.