Ma Jian Quotes & Sayings (Page 2)

“I believe that the Tibetans should have the right to control their own destinies and decide for themselves whether they want to be part of China or not. But this view isn't shared by most Chinese, or even the leaders of most Western democracies. As long as the Communist Party is in power, there is little hope for Tibet.”

“I believe that the power of literature is stronger than the power of tyranny.”

“Living in London is like being on a luxury cruise liner.”

“China is completely lacking in self-awareness and as someone who has stepped outside that society, I have a responsibility to write about it as I see it.”

“I am completely in favour of dialogue and engagement. But it must be a true, open dialogue.”

“If you exile a writer, however free the country he is sent to, there will always be a sense of internal constraint.”

“When the written and spoken word is censored, the urban landscape becomes a nation's only physical link to the past.”

“I have to live within my memories, within my private universe, and continually return to China, the land where my thoughts are locked. This is a very painful kind of existence, this feeling of nowhereness.”

“Beijing Coma took me 10 years to finish.”

“I meant that the Chinese people are not aware of their own entrapment. They believe they live in a free society, but don't realize how much they are being monitored and controlled, how much the information they receive is restricted and warped, until they step out of line, that is, and feel the heavy hand of the state fall on them.”