To survive, China had to open up to the West. It could not survive otherwise. This was after many millions have died of hunger in a country that was like North Korea is today. Once we became part of global… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
The whole Chinese system - not just the political leadership, the military too, the whole power structure, our education system, the whole of society - is suffering from being cut off from the free flow of information. That's why the… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for? — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I see the Beijing National Stadium as an architectural project. I accepted Herzog and De Meuron's invitation to collaborate on the design, and our… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I curated this show [Shanghai Biennale ], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
It doesn't matter where I am - China will stay in me. I don't know how far I can still walk on this road… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world… — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be. — Ai Weiwei Copy Share Image
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