"We have been attempting to block a whole load of Western things -- Western values, hostile Western forces, Western hegemony, and the Western cultural invasion. Our firewall is the world's most advanced. Strangely though, we've never heard of the West trying to block Oriental values, hostile Oriental forces, and the Oriental cultural invasion. Our CCTV4 has landed in the United States, and even The Founding of a Party is being shown on screens there. This illustrates a truth: Where there's freedom, there's no need for firewalls." more ›

"Countless events have proven the fact that real innovation in China does not exist in culture, but in food and medicine. If only just 1% of this creativity was applied in the film industry, Chinese films would no doubt be the world's best." more ›

"Does China have any modern political civilisation to speak of? No, we see only thick skins, black hearts, and the law of the jungle. No matter how gory this infighting within the palace is going to be, the people will do well not to expect Justice Bao to descend from heaven. It is only when the average Chinese start seeing themselves as truly human can civil society start to grow." more ›

"'You are a journalist and a mouthpiece of the Party. Who are you serving, the people or the Party?' questions an official in Bijie, Guizhou Province during an interview. The public is quite familiar with words like these, since a Zhengzhou official uttered the same three years ago. The reappearance of such shocking words in officialdom and almost the exact same words at that -- it's a slap on the face of the people. Criticise as you will, they say; I will continue to say what I want to say. That's a provocation and debasement of public sentiment." more ›

"The income gap in China is of course very big now, but the distribution system is not solely to be blamed. The inequality now is caused by the inequality at the starting point. Children of ordinary backgrounds have never enjoyed equal rights by any measure as their wealthier counterparts since the moment they were born." more ›

"State-owned enterprises should not be owned by the state, but by the people. Last year, these enterprises earned a profit of 900 billion yuan. This money should by right go to the people. First, the capital used to run these companies all come from the people. Secondly, their profits come from the benefit of administrative monopolies, which are given by the people. Either give these profits equally to be shared by our 1.3 billion citizens or put them into a sovereign fund with 1.3 billion shares that can either be traded for money, or held onto for growth." more ›

"If criticizing the Chinese government means being ‘anti-China,’ then most American media would be 'anti America'. The China in the term anti-China media refers to a country with a 5,000 years of history, a very vast land. It is not someone's dynasty or career, nor some party's reign. If you hear people talking about "anti-China" media again, you may think this way: he may be smoking Zhonghua cigarettes, but even Zhonghua does not represent the country of China. Who does he think he is to represent the country?" more ›

"The fall of Bo Xilai, like the fall of the Gang of Four, was a non-normal process. It only goes to show that the Chinese Communist Party has failed to evolve even by a hair's breadth over the last three decades. In countries under the rule of law, problematic officials are dealt with using legal measures. China, on the other hand, operates within the black box. Bo Xilai may not be evil, but his opponents Hu and Wen are no saints either. It gives me goosebumps to hear people like Wang Kang praising Wen, like someone has just let off a foul odour. more ›

The US president only rides the US-made Cadillac. The UK premier rides the UK-made Jaguar. The French president rides France's Peugeot. The German chancellor rides in Germany's Audi. The Italian premier rides Italy's Maserati. The Japanese premier rides Japan's Toyota, and the Korean president rides Korea's Hyundai. I believe some day, Chinese leaders will only ride Chinese cars, and that some day, when Obama comes to China to deliver speeches after his retirement, he too will be riding on Chinese cars. more ›

In the thirty years before the reform and opening up, the total number of non-normal deaths resulting from political causes was 50 million. That's 160 times the number of people died from the Nanjing Massacre. Throughout this period, there was not a single foreign soldier that stepped on Chinese soil. Since the reform and opening up, there has been a huge improvement in Chinese human rights. Now, even if you want to kill a Wu Ying, it's become very difficult because there is now a respect for life. What we need to do now is to have this respect for human rights written into the law. In any situation, we must look at the most important facts. And only after you've accounted for the dead people can you talk about anything else. more ›

I don't like the website Utopia (Editor's note: an ultra-leftist website), but I hope they can continue to make their voice heard. I don't like what Liu (Xiaobo) stands for, but I wish he did not have to sit in prison, and that he would have his place in Chinese society like other "dissidents" do. Nevertheless, the tolerance level in Chinese politics is never as high as we wish it to be. Do what you must but be mindful of the measure. Once you break past a certain threshold, the constructiveness of the diversity you're trying to create will turn into destructiveness, and the backlash will happen. This is the real China. more ›

Concerning the fall of Bo (Xilai), there's been a great deal of rumours spread by the foreign media and on the internet. Here's my advice for everyone. First, trust in the Party. Second, trust in the general rationality of society that has developed decades after China's reform and opening up. Third, trust in the immense momentum China still possesses going forward. These are the words from the bottom of my heart to everyone. And the words I say to myself. more ›

Are red songs really just entertainment? You ask Bo (Xilai)! If this was purely entertainment, then Bo's gang would not have enlisted so many troops and used so much resources to promote them. In the last few decades, I have met many Chinese people on both sides of the straits, and the cultural disparity between mainlanders, Hong Kongers and Taiwanese is extreme. Sometimes I wonder: what led to this yawning gap in the cultural values held among what's supposed to be a homogeneous group? So don't underestimate the power of red songs. They can inject the poison of the revolution and the utter disrespect of human rights into your blood! more ›

"I'm just a tennis player. I'm not here at the open for my country. I just want to play my tennis. It's my job to do my very best. If in the past I've had to lie, now I want to say that actually I haven't been comfortable doing that. Because if you've lied your first lie, then you'll have to lie many more times to cover up that first lie. And I really don't want to do that anymore. I know many people are going to start hating me for speaking the truth, but does it matter anymore? I've finally found my own happiness." more ›

"I have an idea. There should be someone managing the web as well. We can't just let people do whatever they want. [The Internet] should be like the People's Daily. Foreigners are messing up [the Internet]. We can't be like this. We should make the Internet in accordance with our principles. We should not make a good thing turn bad and become a place where people can say whatever they want. Our country is a socialist country under the leadership of the Communist Party." more ›

“I remember when I showed Animen to [the State Administration of Radio, Film & Television]. It blew their minds. They said, ‘Kerr, you made this?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ They said: ‘But you’re Chinese!’ I said, ‘So?’ Most local filmmakers are so boxed in. They think: ‘I’m a Chinese filmmaker, so I can only make Chinese films with kung fu and martial arts.’ Oh my god. The audience is so tired of it. Exhausted. If you were showing me ‘Transformers 50’ I’d be tired of it, too.” more ›

"I can absolutely understand why the mayor of Nagoya would deny the Nanjing Massacre. All of your history is propaganda. There's no credibility and no historical evidence. 300,000 victims, you say, but the number looks like it was plucked out of thin air anyhow you turn it. And let's not forget how you're so ready to greet your own countrymen with the knife, gun, sword, halberd, ax, hook, fork and other weapons. Up till now, you still haven't owned up to the small massacre in 1989. What right do you have to demand that the Japanese mayor acknowledge the big massacre?" more ›

"The total number of people that died of political causes before the reform and opening-up is approximately 50 million. This includes those who died because of war, famine, anti-landlord movements, crack-downs on anti-revolutionists and other political movements, those who died during the fights between two factions to defend Mao's revolution, and those who died as sheer political prisoners. 50 million deaths is pretty much the equivalent of one world war. During this period, there were no foreign troops invading our territory. All the deaths were caused by internal strife. We cannot be unclear who is to blame for such a huge number of deaths." more ›

The great motherland has never been in lack of so-called "civilization!" What we are lacking in now are the systems and the laws to protect this civilization. An unprotected civilization is just like virtue, which we are all calling for - everyone talks about it, but no one believes in it! Virtue can only make those with virtue become good people, but a good system can make everyone become a good person! So, that's why we're a country with an ancient civilization, but not a civilized China. more ›

In a place where most people have never even seen ballot papers, there's always someone who'll always say that the one-person one-vote is dangerous. The 'good citizen certificates' of yesteryears were the same as now. The (Japanese) devils said, "We can't issue 'good citizen certificates' for everyone, or else the Eighth Route Army would penetrate." I'm not talking about representative systems to you. I'm just telling you that the one-person one-vote is a right right. We're not talking about one-person one-gun here. What are you so afraid of?" more ›

"Xi's move to allow 30 Hollywood films into China is good for the following reasons: 1. The more Hollywood films are here, the greater the creative space for Chinese filmmakers. Because there can only be one standard for all. Whatever content they can create, we can do the same. 2. The government will have to fight piracy more proactively, or else Hollywood would be breathing down their necks. We share the benefits. Now we have the backing of Hollywood too. Let's see if you pirates still have the guts! 3. Ultimately, it's great news for the viewers. It's the survival of the fittest. There's nothing to worry about. " more ›

"The Chinese government has never really learnt how to 'speak.' You see a lot of politically correct language, and too little self-criticism. Subjects like Wang Lijun are deemed too sensitive to even be touched upon. China is generally a country that does not too bad on the whole, and the hard results are out there. If something has happened, we should talk about. The more you refuse to talk about it, the more you shroud the matter in mystery. But when you choose to talk about it, people think, oh, it's just that. Society needs criticism all the time. The more the government criticizes itself, the less the public will criticize it. The more good news there is on official media, the more bad news and rumors there will be on Weibo. That's just how things balance up." more ›

"If only Hong Kongers knew this: that if the mainland does not have democracy, Hong Kong will not have democracy, and there will be no changes in its circumstances. If Hong Kong does not have democracy, then there will be no security for Hong Kong's liberty and rule of law, and there will be no change in its circumstances. If Hong Kongers took their dissatisfaction and anger, and used it to push for democracy in Hong Kong and the mainland, then Hong Kong would stand to gain from it, and so would the mainland." more ›

"An official will be sneered at as a freak if he refuses to take money." more ›

Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where demonstrations are a normal thing. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where marches don’t end in disaster. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) roots out the dirt. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where the government isn’t in bed with business. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where refuge is provided for exiles [from the Tiananmen Protests]. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where June 4 is not forgotten. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where magazines are free. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where you don’t have to scale the [Internet] wall. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where the sense of human rights is strong. Thank goodness there is Hong Kong, where there are prospects for democracy. Thank goodness there is Taiwan and Hong Kong, when the mainland’s back bristles with thorns and no one dares step too far out of bounds! more ›

"The title is deliberately provocative, I understand. It's meant to push people outside their comfort zone. We're inert. How do we snap people out of it? We helped create an export monster. We helped them because we developed an appetite for their goods. So we've kind of gotten in this dynamic of exports for finance-we will buy your cheap goods so we can stock our Wal-Mart shelves. They're moving up the value chain. And in exchange for that, we'll look for you to be our number one lender, and that, in pop psychology, you call a co-dependency-exports for finance. They're stuck with us, we're stuck with them. Stalemates, or co-dependencies like this, don't last forever." more ›

“Hon Hai has a workforce of over one million worldwide and as human beings are also animals, to manage one million animals gives me a headache.” more ›

"When we were young, the textbooks told us that China fed 22% of the world's population with just 7% of the world's arable land, but here's what they didn't tell us -- that this 22% of the world's population feeds 60% of the world's public servants; that this 22% of the world's population has only been given 3% of the world's education budget; that this 22% of the world's population has 97% of its wealth concentrated in the hands of the 1%; that this 22% of the world's population has been consuming 90% of the world's toxic food, paying the world's highest taxes and doing the most dirty and tiring work." more ›

"This is how a free and democratic New China will be. All governments at various levels all the way to the central government will be elected through popular, fair and anonymous voting. They will be responsible to the people that elected them. It will be a fulfillment of Sun Yat-Sen's Three Principles of the People, of Lincoln's idea of government of the people, by the people, for the people; and Roosevelt's Four Freedoms. This will guarantee the independence, solidarity and unity of the nation, as well as its cooperation with the democratic nations of the world." more ›

"Pudong is the capital of Chinese exceptionalism. On almost every corner you can see the work of economic tools that Western politicians might dream of these days, tools that have allowed China to snatch success from error over and over in the past 30 plus years of reform." more ›