--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's always the rich and there's plenty…" description: "\"It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare, poor conditions.\" — Ai Weiwei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png" --- # It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet… ![“It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare, poor conditions.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png) > “It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare, poor conditions.” [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wealth coexists with widespread poverty in China, highlighting stark inequality. **In simple terms:** Rich and poor live side by side in China. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic inequality. Themes social justice economics art activism Mood reflective urgent hopeful Type social political activist When to use this quote - Urban planning - policy reform - community projects - art installations Key Concepts Inequality wealth distribution human rights poverty alleviation Questions to Reflect On - How can art influence social policy? - What actions can individuals take to reduce inequality? A Different Perspective Addressing inequality requires systemic change, not just awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [China Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china-lot-5913815/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Plenty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plenty/) [Plenty Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plenty-waste-5913814/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-conditions-2360215/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Spare Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spare-poor-4175457/) [Spares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spares/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Waste China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-china-5913813/) ## Related quotes > [Give, but, if possible, spare the poor man the shame of begging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/give-but-if-possible-spare-the-poor-man-the-shame-of-begging/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Everything in life is not without reason, many invisible - Poor conditions also play a role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/everything-in-life-is-not-without-reason-many-invisible-poor/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [We haven't time to spare to hear whether it was between Italy and Sicily that he ran into a storm or somewhere outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/we-haven-t-time-to-spare-to-hear-whether-it-was-between-italy-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Spare me the articles about how nice Shawcross is because that was a horrendous tackle. 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I don't bear any responsibility to any system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-m-totally-independent-i-don-t-bear-any-responsibility-to-any-system/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [If my art has nothing to do with people's pain and sorrow, what is 'art' for?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/if-my-art-has-nothing-to-do-with-people-s-pain-and-sorrow-what-is-art/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [China has a rich history that has spanned millennia. It consists of the histories of many nations and regions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/china-has-a-rich-history-that-has-spanned-millennia-it-consists-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [This world should be much more open and should be much more free, so the young people would have the chance to exercise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/this-world-should-be-much-more-open-and-should-be-much-more-free-so/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [By participating in the society we live in, we understand our conditions and the way we relate to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/by-participating-in-the-society-we-live-in-we-understand-our/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-see-the-beijing-national-stadium-as-an-architectural-project-i/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I think we cannot have a double standard. We cannot see our art as different from the reality. We cannot use two different sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-think-we-cannot-have-a-double-standard-we-cannot-see-our-art-as/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-doesn-t-matter-where-i-am-china-will-stay-in-me-i-don-t-know-how/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Chinese citizens have never had the right to really express their opinions; in the constitution it says you can, but in the real world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/chinese-citizens-have-never-had-the-right-to-really-express-their/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Your own acts tell the world who you are and what kind of society you think it should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/your-own-acts-tell-the-world-who-you-are-and-what-kind-of-society-you/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Our lives are bound by physical limits, familial ties, political conditions, and geographical restrictions. Individual freedom takes us beyond them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/our-lives-are-bound-by-physical-limits-familial-ties-political/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [Now I've come to such a mixed culture: America, Europe, South America, Africa. And the politics are changing everywhere all the time and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/now-i-ve-come-to-such-a-mixed-culture-america-europe-south-america/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [I don't think it's worth discussing new directions in the context of Chinese art - there were no old directions, either. Chinese art has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-it-s-worth-discussing-new-directions-in-the-context-of/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) [Explore all 359 Ai Weiwei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More China quotes > [I don't want to go into space because of war. 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What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [There is no precedent of an advanced economy withdrawing from a trade agreement as deep and as complex as the European Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-johnson/there-is-no-precedent-of-an-advanced-economy-withdrawing-from-a-trade/) [Jo Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-johnson/) > [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/) [Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/) > [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [Language is so specific to art, all the way to the past in China. Previously, people were not allowed to include various regional dialects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jia-zhangke/language-is-so-specific-to-art-all-the-way-to-the-past-in-china/) [Jia Zhangke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jia-zhangke/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [India may be overtaking China as the world's most polluted country. Even now, which country is worse depends on the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/india-may-be-overtaking-china-as-the-world-s-most-polluted-country/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [We're always willing to look at ways NAFTA can work better. But it's a fine line between looking at ways to make it work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/we-re-always-willing-to-look-at-ways-nafta-can-work-better-but-it-s-a/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [The situation with Tibet has to change. China is one of the last huge dictatorships, holding on to these colonies, provinces. 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Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) [Browse all 3,827 China quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare, poor conditions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ai Weiwei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty-to-waste-yet-still-china-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "China" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty-to-waste-yet-still-china-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/ai-weiwei-824_china_it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty_2383844.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's always the rich and there's plenty to waste, yet still China has a lot of people living in very spare…” — Ai Weiwei", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ai Weiwei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's always the rich and there's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty-to-waste-yet-still-china-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/it-s-always-the-rich-and-there-s-plenty-to-waste-yet-still-china-has/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```