“Actually, I am a coward. I say only what is safe to say, and I criticise only what is permissable to criticise.”

“Why is contemporary China short of works that speak directly? Because we writers cannot speak directly, or rather we can only speak in an indirect way.Why does contemporary China lack good works that critique our current situation? Because our current situation may not be critiqued. We have not only lost the right to criticise, but the courage to do so.Why is modern China lacking in great writers? Because all the great writers are castrated while still in the nursery.”

“Genuine bravery for a writer.... It is about calmly speaking the truth when everyone else is silenced, when the truth cannot be expressed. It is about speaking out with a different voice, risking the wrath of the state and offending everyone, for the sake of the truth, and the writer’s conscience.”

“It is difficult to call myself a writer, even when I stand at a podium to receive a prize, I feel uncomfortable calling myself a writer—I am merely a word criminal.”

“The only truth is that we cannot speak the truth . The only acceptable viewpoint is that we cannot express a viewpoint.”

“Actually, I am a coward. I say only what is safe to say, and I criticise only what is permissable to criticise.”