The whole world loves American movies, blue jeans, jazz and rock and roll. It is probably a better way to get to know our country than by what politicians or airline commercials represent.

In the past I've made movies that were pretty universally liked. You can't really hate them. You can discard them, but you can't really hate them.

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

I have a lot of repression. So repression is what I make movies about.

I think a lot of people do big movies not because they are talented artists but because they can function in the circumstances.