Q&A: Bai Ling

STEPHEN SHORTQ: Have you changed since leaving China?
A: Yes. Normally in China we don't talk about sex, but since I've been away, I discover it's a beautiful thing. If two people can be so close and create new life, it's amazing. It's an animal thing. Strange how you can have good sex with some people and not others.

Q: How political are you?
A: I don't know about politics. The day President Clinton went to Tiananmen, I was asked to be on CNN. But some dissidents were on, and I didn't want to be perceived as one. I am an artist. I refused.

Q: So you want a simple life?
A: I'm looking for simplicity, but the human spirit is so complicated. When I'm in China with my grandmother, the trees have the sun, moon, birds to wake them. I think, What else do I need? At that point the movie industry in the U.S. is far away from me.

Q: How does China differ from the West?
A: Chinese culture is more laid back--like a tea ceremony. The West is always too busy to respect silence.

Q: Have you grown used to being bald?
A: Since I shaved my head I feel very sexy. I feel more naked now than with no clothes on at all. As a woman you use hair to hide. But now I feel naked and it's scary. My head feels vulnerable. What if something drops from the sky?

Q: It's good you don't live in Hong Kong.
A: Do people throw watermelons out of the windows there?

Q: If you're lucky.