Li Jui-teng states that in those harsh years in Taiwan, it was best--perhaps one should say safest--to leave many feelings unexpressed. "Surrealism," which emphasizes exploring the inner world of the mind and soul, was just the right thing for avoiding collisions with an unpleasant reality, thus providing a channel of release. This trend reached its apex in the 1960s.
李瑞騰解釋，當時台灣處於政治戒嚴最緊的時代，缺乏言論自由，知識份子極為苦悶，情感不得渲洩，而探索內心世界的「超現實主義」，正好可以避免和現實抵觸，又可提供一個抒發心情的管道。