Photo: Lei Feng

Quotes from around China this week.

“China has gone through such tremendous change over the past decades that most of us consider ourselves victims. Few people ask themselves, though: 'Have I also hurt others?'”
- Mo Yan on the theme of his book Frog.Der Spiegel

“State secrets is the magic phrase for rejecting disclosure of information. Is it because it involves secrets that it can’t be revealed, or is it simply because you’re afraid of triggering dissatisfaction?”
- People’s Daily’s Weibo account on environmental authorities arguing that soil pollution data is a “state secret.”

“Cornered by the terrible weather, I have nowhere to go. I am unable to focus on my artistic creation.”
- Chinese director Chen Kaige explaining that air pollution hampers his creativity. Wall Street Journal

“We must allow Chinese to have a second child. We cannot wait another minute.”
-NPC representative He Youlin. Sina News

"There are multiple classes of people who are going to get wiped out by this. People who have invested three generations worth of savings -- grandparents', parents', and children into properties -- will see their savings evaporate.  And then of course there are 50 million construction workers who are working on all of these projects around China."
-Hong Kong analyst Gillem Tulloch on the possibility of China’s unstable property bubble bursting. Business Insider

“The most important feature of Lei is that he absolutely obeys the party and Mao Zedong … He lacks independent thinking and reflection."
-Tao Dongfeng, professor of cultural studies at Beijing Normal University.  The central government has recently been emphasizing Mao-era icon Lei Feng’s role as model in honor of  Lei Feng Day on March 5^th. The Guardian