In China, literature has never been purely literature. That is why the pleading for literature based on reading seems so timid, pale and defensive in such debates. When we implore the other party to take some time and read the works of the day, we know this is futile. Disputes don't arise from mere reading; the other party harbors a holistic anger, which can't be tempered by any literary work. It's as if a person is standing in the wilderness, lamenting the desolation of the world. You must understand that his sadness is metaphysical.