I think because of their terrible past, particularly this century, the Chinese have come to accept cruelty more than many other people, which is something I feel very unhappy about

...boredom was as exhausting as backbreaking labor.

In spring 1989...I saw the buildup of demonstrations from Chengdu to Tiananmen Square. It struck me that fear had been forgotten to such an extent that few of the millions of demonstrators perceived danger. Most seemed to be taken by surprise when the army opened fire.

When he asked my grandmother if she would mind being poor, she said she would be happy just to have her daughter and himself: 'If you have love, even plain water is sweet.

...go in the direction your head is pointed in.

At the age of fifteen my grandmother became the concubine of a warlord general.

China is more prosperous than before. The people have better lives but they are not happy and confident because the scars are still there.