Xiang Yang frankly states that early on his determination to use 10-line poems was rooted partly in a simple desire to do something different. Writing the poems was a bit like "finding a bird to fit a cage. 'Later on, his explorations of the form took on a more spiritual aspect.
向陽坦承，前期立意寫十行，多少是為了自鑄格律，是「拿著形式的籠子抓合適的鳥」；後期雖有十行形式，但已偏向精神層面的發掘。