All Americans knew was ‘The Joy Luck Club’ and children of dry cleaners trying to assimilate. The Asia that I was seeing was a world of people who are incredibly sophisticated, and I wanted to represent that side. – Kevin Kwan
To me, families are fascinating. I choose to explore it through comedy and through comic situations. – Kevin Kwan
Asian literature is evolving with the people. It’s always a reflection on what’s happening to the culture at large. – Kevin Kwan
I sort of wanted to reveal this other side of Asia: Southeast Asia, where the Chinese have been wealthy for generations and have different ways of relating to money. I wanted to sort of reveal this world to readers. – Kevin Kwan
It’s not normal to go into a house and see a pond in the middle of the living room full of baby sharks. It’s not normal to go to someone’s garage and see a private plane. – Kevin Kwan
‘China rich’ is the new ‘crazy rich.’ It’s a new level of outrageousness. It comes from this world where overnight fortunes have been made, but the fortunes are so ginormous compared to anything we’ve ever seen in the history of the world. – Kevin Kwan
Writers often say that characters begin to write themselves, and I never used to believe that. I always thought that was complete hogwash. – Kevin Kwan
I think snobbery is one of the oldest customs in the world, and the rich will always find ways to rank each other and make themselves feel more special than others. – Kevin Kwan
In order for me to write a scene, it’s very important for me to see and experience everything with my own eyes, so yes, I was able to visit some remarkable houses and destinations while I was in China. – Kevin Kwan
In Asia, it’s customary to get together with your entire extended family on a regular basis, and it’s all rife with politics. – Kevin Kwan
I’ve recently rediscovered Anthony Trollope. I used to read him back in college, and a friend turned me on to a whole new series of his work, ‘The Palliser Series.’ It’s a series of seven or eight books. – Kevin Kwan
I would not call my family ‘traditional Chinese.’ We were more what I would term the Colonial Chinese. – Kevin Kwan
I’m not sure if being Chinese really helped, but I do think that if a non-Asian had written a book called ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ they might not have been looked upon so kindly. – Kevin Kwan
I think, at least for me, I’m so impressed by Shanghai and how all of China continues to evolve. On a style level, you’re seeing this increased sophistication and brand awareness. – Kevin Kwan
I wanted to explore what all this new-found wealth means for the different generations of Chinese who have to live together in this place that is transforming at warp speed into the richest country on the planet. – Kevin Kwan
I met a Shanghai photographer who finds these old streets and matches the French names to what they are today. I was able to find my grandfather’s block, and just walking the same streets and finding his house was deeply moving. I finally felt connected to China. – Kevin Kwan
If I were to generalize a bit, I would say that the ultra rich in Asia live on a scale that far surpasses the wealthy in the U.S. or Europe. – Kevin Kwan
It used to be, on TV, you’d see only two types of Asians. You’d see the science geek who’s using his mobile phone or something like that, or you’d see a very token Asian family – yuppie mother and father and two little Asian kids. It’s the last barrier for Hollywood. – Kevin Kwan
There are old-money Asians that would never be caught dead with a Chanel handbag or sporting anything that has a label it. – Kevin Kwan