Question: Where did Dali get his idea to have clocks melting?
About the article "Salvador Dalí", section "Symbolism".

Candidate passages:
Dali may refer to: 
Normal clocks such as clocks at home and wristwatches usually drift compared to the actual time.
This is why it is necessary to reset them occasionally.
Clocks often drift differently depending on their quality, the exact power they get from the battery, the surrounding temperature and other environmental variables.
Thus the same clock can have different clock drift rates at different occasions.
Mechanical watches drift much more than quartz ones, but they are designed to drift ahead rather than behind, so that the watch gains time, making it easier to set the time to the second with the hack (stop mechanism) function.
More advanced clocks and old mechanical clocks often have some kind of speed trimmer where one can adjust the speed of the clock and thus reduce the clock drift.
For instance, in pendulum clocks the clock drift can be manipulated by slightly changing the length of the pendulum. 
Zangwill supported the feminist and pacifist movements, but his greatest impact may have been as a writer who popularized the idea of the melting of the races into a single, American nation.
The hero of his widely-produced play, "The Melting Pot", proclaims: ""America is God's Crucible, the great Melting-Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and reforming... Germans and Frenchmen, Irishmen and Englishmen, Jews and Russians - into the Crucible with you all!
God is making the American."'"
In 863, a major Dali attack against Tang's Annan District (安南, headquartered in modern Hanoi, Vietnam) captured Annan, and the Tang protector general for Annan, Cai Xi (蔡襲), died while fighting the Dali forces.
They then approached Yong Prefecture (邕州, in modern Nanning, Guangxi), the capital for Lingnan West Circuit (嶺南西道).
The military governor of Lingnan West Circuit, Zheng Yu (鄭愚), who was a career civilian, was fearful of Dali forces and submitted a petition requesting to be replaced by a general.
Then-reigning Emperor Yizong (Emperor Xuānzong's son) recalled Kang to the capital Chang'an, intending to have him replace Zheng, and allowed him to bring several hundred officers and soldiers from Yiwu Circuit.
Upon Kang's arrival in Chang'an, Emperor Yizong commissioned him the military governor of Lingnan West, and also mobilized about 10,000 soldiers from Jingnan (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), Shannan East (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangfan, Hubei), Eyue (鄂岳, headquartered in modern Wuhan, Hubei), and Jiangxi (江西, headquartered in modern Nanchang, Jiangxi) Circuits to accompany him to Lingnan West.
After Kang arrived at Yong Prefecture, the Dali attack was intensifying, so Emperor Yizong further mobilized troops from eight other circuits — Zhongwu (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan), Yicheng (義成, headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan), Pinglu (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang, Shandong), Xuanwu (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), Yanhai (兗海, headquartered in modern Jining, Shandong), Tianping (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong), Xuanshe (宣歙, headquartered in modern Xuancheng, Anhui), and Zhenhai (鎮海, headquartered in modern Zhenjiang, Jiangsu) — to reinforce him.
Kang, however, did not set up a proper scouting system.
As Dali forces approached Yong Prefecture, Kang sent the troops from six circuits to engage them, using the local Liao (獠) tribesmen as guides; the Liao led the Tang forces into an ambush by Dali forces, and the troops of five circuits were annihilated, with only the Tianping forces, because they were late by one day, escaping the ambush.
In the aftermaths, Kang was gripped by fear, and the defenses for Yong Prefecture were actually built by his deputy Li Xingsu (李行素).
As soon as Li completed the defenses, Dali forces arrived and put Yong Prefecture after siege.
For four days, Yong Prefecture was under attack, and it almost fell.
A number of officers suggested counterattacking, but Kang initially refused, relenting only after repeated pleas by a low-level officer from Tianping.
At night, that Tianping officer took 300 volunteers and made a surprise attack on the Dali camp, setting it on fire and killing some 500 Dali soldiers.
In shock, the Dali forces withdrew.
Only then did Kang launch his main forces to try to chase down the Dali forces, but was unable to; they killed only some 300 Liao who were forced to cooperate with the Dali forces.
Kang nevertheless submitted a report claiming a great victory.
Emperor Yizong, in response, bestowed on Kang the honorific title of acting "You Pushe" (右僕射).
However, all of the soldiers who received rewards based on Kang's report were Kang's relatives or soldiers close to him, and the soldiers who participated in the surprise raid were not awarded.
This brought much resentment.
Subsequently, the military governor of neighboring Lingnan East Circuit (嶺南東道, headquartered in modern Guangzhou, Guangdong), found out what happened, and reported this to the chancellors.
Kang himself was fearful as well that his deception would be discovered, so he claimed to be ill and offered to resign.
He was recalled to serve as a general of the imperial guards, but with his office at the eastern capital Luoyang. 
In 868, Gao Pian was recalled to Chang'an to serve as a general of the imperial guards.
At his recommendation, his grandnephew Gao Xun (高潯), who fought in the campaign against Dali and had much contributions, was made the military governor of Jinghai to replace him.
Gao Pian was subsequently made the military governor of Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong) and was said to have governed it well.
In 873, when Emperor Yizong died and was succeeded by his son Emperor Xizong, Gao was still at Tianping, and was given the honorary chancellor title of "Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi" (同中書門下平章事).
In 874, Dali launched a major attack on Tang's Xichuan Circuit (西川, headquartered in modern Chengdu, Sichuan), and the Tang military governor of Xichuan, Niu Cong (牛叢), was unable to resist the attack.
Dali forces reached Xichuan's capital Chengdu Municipality and withdrew, but Niu, in fear of another Dali attack, gathered the people of the surrounding regions into Chengdu.
Emperor Xizong ordered several circuits to send forces to aid Xichuan, while ordering Gao to head to Xichuan to handle the matters involving Dali.
He subsequently made Gao the military governor of Xichuan to replace Niu, as well as the mayor of Chengdu.
Gao, realizing that he was looking at a potential major epidemic if the people were all confined to the city of Chengdu, ordered, even before he could reach Chengdu, that the city gates be opened and the people allowed to exit, and it was said that the people were initially very pleased by his arrival.
Upon arrival in spring 875, Gao launched a minor retributive strike against Dali, and then built a number of key forts on the border with Dali.
It was said that because of his defensive buildup, Dali did not further make attacks against Xichuan, although Gao's petition to launch a major attack against Dali was rejected by Emperor Xizong.
However, Gao soon precipitated a mutiny against him.
When Dali had previously attacked Chengdu in 870, the officer Yang Qingfu (楊慶復) had recruited a group of soldiers known as the "Raiders" (突將) to aid in the defense of Chengdu.
Upon Gao's arrival, he withdrew the commissions of the Raiders, and even stopped supplying them with food.
He, a devout Taoist, further angered the soldiers by employing sorcery before battles and announcing the reason why sorcery was needed as that the Xichuan soldiers were weak and cowardly.
He also withdrew commissions from officials who had initially served as non-commissioned administrators, and employed heavy punishment.
In summer 875, the Raiders attacked Gao's headquarters, although Gao hid himself and was not injured in the attack.
Gao thereafter issued a public apology restoring the Raiders' commissions and salaries.
Later that month, at night, he had the Raiders and their families arrested and massacred.
A woman, before she was executed, was said to have proclaimed thus against Gao:Gao was said to have even considered executing Raiders who were not at Chengdu at the time of the mutiny, and he only stopped when his subordinate Wang Yin (王殷) pointed out that they could not have participated in the mutiny, and that he, as a Taoist, should be more merciful.
In 876, Gao built a ring of outer walls for Chengdu.
He also sent the Buddhist monk Jingxian (景先) to Dali, assuring peace and that Tang would eventually give Qiulong a Tang princess to marry.
It was said that because of these initiatives, Dali made no attempt to interfere with his defensive buildup.
In 878, Gao was transferred to be the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (荊南, headquartered in modern Jingzhou, Hubei).
He was also made the director of the salt and iron monopolies and the food supplies for the two capitals (i.e., Chang'an and Luoyang).