I look at American movies, the big muscles, and try to apply that to Chinese film-making.

Every movie I make. That’s my hideout, the place I don’t quite understand, but feel most at home.

Fighting for identity is something that is very much in my life.

So many times you see beautiful lovemaking scenes with a lot of exposure or an awkward lovemaking scene, but I think it's very rare that you see it private.

The woman's perspective is like the dark side of the moon: it always exists, but it is never exposed, at least not in my culture.

Basically the movies I make are my life, so I choose how I want to live my life for the next two years. So that's a decision I have to make. At some point if I feel there are enough elements - it doesn't even have to have great characters or great stories - it's just elements that can get my excitement and curiosity for one or two years, then I'll jump in and I'll find out what that is. Then I have to do [interviews like this] and rationalize why I do this.

If the movie is quiet I generally feel the audience is busy. That's when they're working.