Li recalls that after Hai Dong Qing was published, Taiwan University Chinese literature professor Wu Hung-yi complained during a meeting of writers: "I had to use an 300-year-old unabridged dictionary just to read your book." The remark hit home. "I'm an overseas Chinese who majored in foreign languages.
李永平回想當初《海東青》出版後，一次作家的聚會上，台大中文系教授吳宏一向他抱怨：「我看你的書還要查康熙字典。」