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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
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A lot of the people who live the lives of 'Crazy Rich Asians' don't see the humour of their lives simply because this is just who they are. Even though I'm from that part of the world, I'm no longer part of that world.
Kevin Kwan
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My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every day, and my grandfather, who attended university in Scotland, would smoke his pipe after dinner.
Kevin Kwan
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I was born in Singapore, and I lived there until I was 12. I had a very fortunate upbringing.
Kevin Kwan
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The idea of Asian ascendancy has entered public culture.
Kevin Kwan
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My father came from old money. There was less of an expectation for the children to earn a living.
Kevin Kwan
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I'm naturally a shy, quiet person.
Kevin Kwan
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I've always been drawn to the Edwardian period in England. To me, it seems like such a fascinating time, when the British Empire was at the height of its powers and the strict mores of the Victorian age were dissipating into the decadence of King Edward's reign.
Kevin Kwan
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No matter our background, we all have crazy families.
Kevin Kwan
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I know an elderly society matron in Singapore who would rather walk in the scorching sun for blocks on end rather than have her chauffeur drive into the Central Business District at peak hour and pay the $1.50 surcharge.
Kevin Kwan
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I'm a writer. I'm naturally introverted, so being the public face of something, I don't think I do it well.
Kevin Kwan
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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
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I was born on the island of Singapore, and I grew up there until I was 11 years old, when I was forcibly removed by my dad and planted into suburban Houston. I was in shock for the first year and then began to really love it - but didn't love it quite enough to stay.
Kevin Kwan
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Especially in the West, people want to understand Asia on a deeper level because it's become the engine of the world economy, like it or not.
Kevin Kwan
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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
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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
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I moved to New York and went to art school at Parsons School of Design. Became a photographer. Became a creative consultant.
Kevin Kwan
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My books are comedies; I want to take my readers on a jet-setting romp, make them laugh, make them swoon at the beautiful settings, and maybe even make their mouths water at all the food.
Kevin Kwan
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My golden dream was to move to New York and live in the Village and become that cool rebel beatnik Jack Kerouac.
Kevin Kwan
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The China Rich seem to be spending on a scale that's just beyond anything we've ever seen before. They are building and buying an insane amount of luxury residences around the world, commissioning huge flying palaces from Boeing, and paying ridiculous amounts for art.
Kevin Kwan
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I love Netflix and Amazon and watching movies on streamers as much as the next person.
Kevin Kwan
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If you're the water boiler king of China, you're selling a billion water boilers.
Kevin Kwan
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I came from a family of extremely old money, and so by the time I was born, there was really just a trickle of money left.
Kevin Kwan
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Such huge money has been made in China - it can be hundreds of millions in a year - and there's a need to validate it by showing what they can buy and how much of it.
Kevin Kwan
