I Always Wanted To Be A Writer.

China Is More Prosperous Than Before. The People Have Better Lives But They Are Not Happy And Confident Because The Scars Are Still There.

In Spring 1989...i Saw The Buildup Of Demonstrations From Chengdu To Tiananmen Square. It Struck Me That Fear Had Been Forgotten To Such An Extent That Few Of The Millions Of Demonstrators Perceived Danger. Most Seemed To Be Taken By Surprise When The Army Opened Fire.

The Chinese Seemed To Be Mourning Mao In A Heartfelt Fashion. But I Wondered How Many Of Their Tears Were Genuine. People Had Practiced Acting To Such A Degree That They Confused It With Their True Feelings.

While I Was Writing Wild Swans I Thought The Famine Was The Result Of Economic Mismanagement But During The Research I Realised That It Was Something More Sinister.

When I Was In China, Mao Was Chairman, And Parents Were Terrified To Tell Their Children Anything That Differed From The Party Line In Case The Children Repeated It And Endangered The Whole Family.