| An-Yi: | Isn't it arrogant for non-Chinese to write about China? | |
| Bhäraté: | If you think of writing as a way of exploring an issue instead of a final pronouncement, then writing is never arrogant . . . it's simply an ongoing enquiry. | |
| An-Yi: | Well, how much does the author really know about China? | |
| Bhäraté: | How much can anyone know about a nation with over a billion people, five thousand years of recorded history, and so many ethnic groups? Our understanding is inherently imperfect. | |
| Chariya: | Yeah, our knowledge is like a spider's web: a flimsy construction the breeze. Still, it's worth spinning if we remember conjectures are merely conjectures . . . | |
| An-Yi: | Enough talk . . . I'll give this a few minutes of attention. | |
| Daiki: | [sucking in air] That is more than most people will give . . . . |