If all that foreigners know of China is what they've seen in The Last Emperor, or if all that Chinese people on Taiwan know of the Silk Road is what they've seen through the lens of Japanese photographers then, says Hsu, "not only won't we be able to present our views to foreigners, but we won't have a view of our own country either.
假若外國人所認識的中國是義大利導演貝托魯奇鏡頭下的「末代皇帝」，而在台灣的中國人又是透過日本的攝影師，才知道千里絲路，或經由美國記者才看到巴拿馬政變；許鐘榮強調：「如此一來，我們不僅對外國提不出中國人的見解，對中國也沒有自己的看法。