Beginning from what he observes to be a pervasive sense of individual failure, which arises from the inability to attain the grand success promised by Reform-Era ideology, Yang suggests his generation is characterized by a nihilistic outlook. Unlike previous generations, Yang’s generation has been unable to engage in a similarly meaningful dialogue with history, which has blunted its own historical consciousness and subjective awareness. Yang observes the origins of this phenomenon in literary works like Ke Yunlu’s New Star and in the “Pan Xiao” debates conducted in the journal New Youth, which discussed the bleak experiences of many young people in the early years of the Reform Era. Finally, relating his own experience wanting to volunteer for the rescue efforts after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, Yang identifies a desire to find some sort of personal intersection with History, which for his generation can only be provided temporarily through something like a natural disaster.