Kevin Kwan

One of the dreams on my wish list is to spend more time in Thailand.

As a child, I didn't even realize I was Chinese. I was Singaporean, but my identity was wrapped up in the culture I was experiencing every day.

Asian literature is evolving with the people. It's always a reflection on what's happening to the culture at large.

The idea of Asian ascendancy has entered public culture.

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.

I would not call my family 'traditional Chinese.' We were more what I would term the Colonial Chinese.

There's always been this tradition of satirizing these rich groups of people.

I love romantic comedies more than anything.

To me, families are fascinating. I choose to explore it through comedy and through comic situations.

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.

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.

I grew up in a household where there were really, really strong matriarchal characters. I think that's true of many Asian households. People tend to think of Asia as a misogynistic society or a society where men rule. At least in my experience, the women rule the household; the women rule the social scene. The men often become very useless.