Cheng admits that he was deeply influenced by these classic Russian works. "In those times, Russian society was not affluent, and there were quite prevalent problems of class," he explains. "Writers reflected the social realities in their works.
鄭清文坦言深受舊俄時期文學作品影響，「當時舊俄社會並不富裕，存在著相當明顯的階級問題，文學家的創作筆法也以社會寫實為主。