When I grew up, in Taiwan, the Korean War was seen as a good war, where America protected Asia. It was sort of an extension of World War II. And it was, of course, the peak of the Cold War. People in Taiwan were generally proAmerican. The Korean War made Japan. And then the Vietnam War made Taiwan. There is some truth to that.

My mother loves me and everything goes well. I have no conflict with her, so that's not dramatic.

If it was a choice between making movies and doing nothing, he'd probably still wish me to make movies, So he made me keep going.

I wanted to shoot straight, mainstream, somehow off-beat. Not only realistic West, which is quite unfamiliar to the world's population - even to a lot of Americans.

My cultural roots are something illusive.

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

I have two sons in America, and all they care about in Chinese culture is Jackie Chan and Jet Li.