These days I’m working on a book for a Beijing-based architecture studio called MAD. Among other things, the book is a collection of conversations with people with people from across Chinese society (from hair dressers to government officials) and experts from outside, including Ian Buruma and Hans Ulrich Obrist.

Sooo…. today my colleague Shuyu and I talked with Zhang Yimou, director of Raise the Red Lantern and Hero, among many others.

He struck me cool, calm, and collected. The main thing that struck me was his voice and gentle, subtly dramatic way of speaking.

I can’t post the interview before the book drops, of course. But here’s a little taste of man’s speech.

In case you’re wondering, we were asking him how his success abroad has affected his ability to work in China. He said something like, “There’s an old saying in China: ‘The blossom inside the wall is usually appreciated from the outside.’…”

Anyway, I’ll hopefully post some more about the book as it develops. It’s got to be printed by the beginning of November, so….

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