残雪 An interview with Can Xue

Zang Jixian: You mentioned in another interview that Chinese people lack a kind of self-awareness toward daily life. Can you elaborate?

Can Xue: Chinese people aren’t good at self-analysis. They have a habit of following the crowd like a swarm of bees. It’s the essence of our culture. For instance, Chinese students abroad always gather together wherever they are. Individuality is still an unattainable concept for the Chinese people. People lack self-awareness. Everything they do is because “everyone’s doing it.” Buying a house, buying a car, making money. A scholar said something like this: “Looking at ourselves is the hardest thing to do.”


Source:
www.sixthtone.com/news/qa-author-can-xue-state-chinese-literature