While I Was Writing Wild Swans I

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

At The Age Of Fifteen My Grandmother Became The Concubine Of A Warlord General.

When I Was In China, Mao Was Chairman, And Parents Were Terrified To Tell Their Children Anything That Differed From The Party Line In Case The Children Repeated It And Endangered The Whole Family.

I Like To Have Chinese Furniture In My Home As A Constant And Painful Reminder Of How Much Has Been Destroyed In China. The Contrast Between The Beauty Of The Past And The Ugliness Of The Modern Is Nowhere Sharper Than In China.

When A Man Gets Power, Even His Chickens And Dogs Rise To Heaven.