Some Chinese are slaves to Western culture, others look East. I say fuck all of them and be yourself. That’s what I like about rock ‘n’ roll. You can… - Cui Jian

I don't even want people to say I'm the godfather of Chinese rock music. I would like to say I'm the grandson of Chinese rock music. I want to keep doing something, I don't want to sit there and tell people what you should do. I don't like that.

His lyrics evoked alienation, a craving for personal freedom and sexual desire. His voice was a deep bass growl, the likes of which few outside the tiny, nascent Beijing rock scene had ever heard.

Talking about capitalism and communism isn’t really important or relevant anymore. Money isn’t proof that capitalism is right — money is money. Nobody really cares about these concepts, not even the government. They’re all just tools. I do think people of this generation talk more about control, education, the environment. Nobody talks about capitalism or socialism anymore though. It’s all mixed up together.