I didn’t figure out until I was in my thirties that, in China, most people’s success is based on imitation and copying; you don’t even need originality—just by imitating and copying you can make money like A9, A10, A11, A12.

In the business world, imitation and copying happen across the board—phones, computers, semiconductors, cars, the internet, apps. How many companies are truly original?

For academics and people who publish books, and for scientific research, it’s imitation and copying.

Making movies is imitation and copying.

Singing is imitation and copying.