Why there aren't many innovators in China

Where's the incentive to innovate if you have a huge market with tremendous cultural barriers to entry for the most innovative companies in the rest of the world?

China has long culture of believing in studying hard and becoming part of the system as the route to success. (The imperial exam system.) Although it no longer formerly exists, there are analogues and the influence is still there. It is ingrained from birth that you study hard, get into the right university then reap the rewards. Beijing locals I talked to were puzzled by the idea that government workers in the west could get in trouble by accepting gifts and favours. In China, that's the main reason you would follow that career path.

This doesn't lead to a very entrepreneurial culture, although there are many who will still try to start their own business. Then you start to hit the barriers discussed in the article. Another barrier you can hit is that if you start to become successful, the government will appoint a party member to your management. Further, if you are in certain fields, the government erects tax and regulatory obstacles that will create an advantage for state-owned enterprises.

It's unfortunate... there are enough in the under-35 age group, who might actually break out of the old culture and innovate. They face a lot of obstacles and that will be bad for China's long-term outlook.

In America intelligence is seen as Yankee ingenuity, building a better mousetrap. Talking back to your superiors and finding a better way is smiled on if you can produce results in the states.

In china, intelligence is seen as efficiency, doing something well, getting the right boxes filled on the exam, non-intelligence related things that are called intelligence. Go talking about how the yuan is pegged to the dollar instead of gold and the government won't hire you because you aren't parroting the group think (I have experience talking to some china-women about this). Try to break out of your class and get beaten back into it.

It's the culture. I really think if china could break out of it's meek-slave mentality and have them start thinking that the Earth is theirs for the taking if they want it, then it could blow United States out of the water a thousand times over. Educate the meek slave class sleeping giant with care! It took thousands of years to craft a group of people who will work and not fight back when exploited.

> Yes, there's a lot of money but there's not enough ethical business people.

Well, that's bound to happen when a generation suddenly becomes rich for first time in long family history. You kind of had it coming.

It'd take some metabolism cycles to ingest the wealth they come by. Until then they'll act like pigs on money steroid rather than the rich.

Best to avoid the shitbag of shitstorm until they learn to be civil.