If people are being abused or even killed during an arrest, this is highly disturbing.

If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?

I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our proposal won the competition. From beginning to end, I stayed with the project. I am committed to fostering relationships between a city and its architecture.

I lived there [ in New York City] as an artist, but never as a Chinese artist.

China didn't want to lose the cutting edge of technology. So the idea of having a Sina Weibo was an attempt to compete with Twitter. However, it has no soul - which is freedom of expression. Nevertheless, I think the government regrets having Sina Weibo, but they cannot shut it down. That would definitely be suicidal.

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

The purpose of art is the fight for freedom.