--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We grew up in a very material-lacking…" description: "\"We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. It's very materialistic. It's full of desire and luxu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/ai-weiwei-824_capitalist_we-grew-up-in-a-very-material-lacking-so_888501.jpg" --- # We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society… ![“We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. It's very materialistic. It's full of desire and luxury goods.” quote by Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/ai-weiwei-824_capitalist_we-grew-up-in-a-very-material-lacking-so_888501.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/ai-weiwei-824_capitalist_we-grew-up-in-a-very-material-lacking-so_888501.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dff/ai-weiwei-824_capitalist_we-grew-up-in-a-very-material-lacking-so_888501.jpg) > “We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. It's very materialistic. It's full of desire and luxury goods.” [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. He contrasts past socialist scarcity with present capitalist abundance, noting rising materialism and desire for luxury **In simple terms:** He observes China’s shift from scarcity to materialism Key Takeaway Recognize how societal change impacts values Themes change materialism societal shift Mood critical observational Type sociopolitical reflective When to use this quote - policy analysis - cultural studies - personal finance decisions Key Concepts capitalism consumerism social transformation Questions to Reflect On - How does materialism affect personal fulfillment? - Can cultural heritage survive in a consumerist era? A Different Perspective Materialism can erode community bonds ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalist/) [Capitalist Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalist-society/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [China Capitalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china-capitalist-1121932/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goods/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-up/) [Lacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lacking/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Luxury goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury-goods/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Socialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialist/) [Society Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-materialistic-1121931/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [“The problem is that our world and our education remain focused exclusively on external, materialistic values. We are not concerned enough with inner values.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/the-problem-is-that-our-world-and-our-education-remain-focused/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [Of course, most luxury goods in China are for corrupted officials and their relatives. And that made China become the biggest luxury-goods market. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/of-course-most-luxury-goods-in-china-are-for-corrupted-officials-and/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [All the auction houses care about is the selling of luxury goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/all-the-auction-houses-care-about-is-the-selling-of-luxury-goods/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [The boom for luxury goods is unending. There are people who never have to worry about whether they can afford something they like. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-della-valle/the-boom-for-luxury-goods-is-unending-there-are-people-who-never-have/) [Diego Della Valle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-della-valle/) > [I'm not in the luxury-goods business. I sell unique objects. I wish I was in luxury goods because then I could just call the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gagosian/i-m-not-in-the-luxury-goods-business-i-sell-unique-objects-i-wish-i/) [Larry Gagosian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-gagosian/) > [The event concept was sparked from a shared observation amongst these leading lifestyle brands that the economic rebound has spurred greater liquidity into real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-savage/the-event-concept-was-sparked-from-a-shared-observation-amongst-these/) [Andrea Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-savage/) > [Art is not entertainment. Art is not luxury goods. Art is culture. 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And I think that by and large the privilege of being Kehinde Wiley in the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/it-never-really-understood-its-own-situational-luxury-and-i-think/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [“Pleasantly bustling shoppers streamed past us on Bond Street - smart-suited men and well-heeled women whose commitment to luxury goods glazed over their eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyne-o-connell/pleasantly-bustling-shoppers-streamed-past-us-on-bond-street-smart/) [Tyne O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyne-o-connell/) > [“As the differences get smaller, the purely functional reasons for premium goods fade away, and instead they are purchased for the reason we've always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-differences-get-smaller-the-purely-functional-reasons-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Luxury goods are the only area in which it is possible to make luxury margins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-arnault/luxury-goods-are-the-only-area-in-which-it-is-possible-to-make-luxury/) [Bernard Arnault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-arnault/) > [To protect the right of expression is the central part of an artist's activity... In China many essential rights are lacking, and I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/to-protect-the-right-of-expression-is-the-central-part-of-an-artist-s/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) ## More by Ai Weiwei > [I'm totally independent. 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 Capitalist quotes > [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/) [William Henry Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-pickering/) > [As the variable capital always stays in the hands of the capitalist in some form or other, it cannot be claimed in any way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-variable-capital-always-stays-in-the-hands-of-the-capitalist/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Capitalists have done more good for society through their charitable giving, philanthropy and generosity than all their critics combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/capitalists-have-done-more-good-for-society-through-their-charitable/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [When I was young, I worked for a capitalist twelve hours a day and I was always tired. Now I work for myself twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-i-was-young-i-worked-for-a-capitalist-twelve-hours-a-day-and-i/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) > [“Capitalist cycle of profit. The rancher sells a cow for profit. The butcher sells cuts for profit. The restaurant sells meals for profit. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/capitalist-cycle-of-profit-the-rancher-sells-a-cow-for-profit-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [For me, it is clear that we are currently in a period of structural crisis of capitalism going back to the 1970s, but deepening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bellamy-foster/for-me-it-is-clear-that-we-are-currently-in-a-period-of-structural/) [John Bellamy Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bellamy-foster/) > [As someone from the working class I was always interested in Russia and China and everything that related to the working class, even though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/as-someone-from-the-working-class-i-was-always-interested-in-russia/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [Capitalism has created a situation called scarcity. And that scarcity is not natural, it's socially induced. Along with that sense of scarcity, or feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/capitalism-has-created-a-situation-called-scarcity-and-that-scarcity/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/) [Davis McCaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-mccaughey/) > [When you come from a family of communists and you go through your teenage rebellion, what's the best way of rebelling from a family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-browder/when-you-come-from-a-family-of-communists-and-you-go-through-your/) [Bill Browder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-browder/) > [The Enron scandal calls into question the integrity of the entire capitalist system, which previously we assumed was based on honest, straightforward greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-achenbach/the-enron-scandal-calls-into-question-the-integrity-of-the-entire/) [Joel Achenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-achenbach/) > [Human beings were behaving as human beings and not as cogs in the capitalist machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/human-beings-were-behaving-as-human-beings-and-not-as-cogs-in-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Beautiful women must think about their beauty as capitalists think about their investments or politicians about their majorities; it is all they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/beautiful-women-must-think-about-their-beauty-as-capitalists-think/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) [Browse all 968 Capitalist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We grew up in a very material-lacking socialist society, but today China is a capitalist society. 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