--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen…" description: "\"Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/ai-weiwei-824_china_somehow-we-tan-dun-and-director-chen-kai_2289875.png" --- # Somehow, we \[ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige\] were all… ![“Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of what the future was going to be like.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/ai-weiwei-824_china_somehow-we-tan-dun-and-director-chen-kai_2289875.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/ai-weiwei-824_china_somehow-we-tan-dun-and-director-chen-kai_2289875.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d2/ai-weiwei-824_china_somehow-we-tan-dun-and-director-chen-kai_2289875.png) > “Somehow, we \[ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige\] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. But at the moment, we had no sense of what the future was going to be like.” [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. The artists felt privileged to work abroad, yet they lacked any clear vision of China’s future at that time. **In simple terms:** Artists abroad felt privileged but uncertain about China’s future. Key Takeaway Acknowledge uncertainty in exile. Themes art exile future Mood contemplative hopeful Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - international exhibitions - political uncertainty - creative planning Key Concepts cultural displacement visionary thinking Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect artistic vision? - What responsibilities do artists have toward their homeland? A Different Perspective Exile can also inspire new perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [If I would characterize my life, I would say that I was a very lucky actor who came into very lucky times, and got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/efrem-zimbalist-jr/if-i-would-characterize-my-life-i-would-say-that-i-was-a-very-lucky/) [Efrem Zimbalist, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/efrem-zimbalist-jr/) > [I've got a passion for what I'm doing and I feel privileged all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitin-sawhney/i-ve-got-a-passion-for-what-i-m-doing-and-i-feel-privileged-all-the/) [Nitin Sawhney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitin-sawhney/) > [China, the world's most populous country, 1.3, 1.4 billion people, will in the next decade or so have to begin looking for people outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-french/china-the-world-s-most-populous-country-1-3-1-4-billion-people-will/) [Howard W. 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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. 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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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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. 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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": "Somehow, we [ Tan Dun and director Chen Kaige] were all privileged at the time; we could be outside of China. 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