As the above story indicates, Hou prefers to use direct experiences as his subject matter. His favorite saying is, "Learning comes from outside the school, and movies come from outside the studio."
他最喜歡講的一句話是：「學問要從非學問處來，電影也要從非電影處來」，他解釋：「只要你深深感覺自己生活在人之中、感覺在其中，拍出的東西就會反映個人對人、對事、對世界的看法。」