I think there are 2 reasons for this.Bao3niang wrote:The Chinese are a pragmatic people, and like to focus on everyday things rather than on artistic and spiritual pursuits. In ancient times, your gateway to success was the imperial examination system, where you could be made a government official if you did well. While quite a few were the bohemian / intellectual type, they were often recuses who detached themselves from society and the culture. China has always seen hard work as a grand virtue, as opposed to personal interests and innate ability / talent.
One is communism. Communists specifically set out to destroy culture, religion, artifacts,etc. Now, all the big sites have become modernized and completely commericalized. It costs $25 to see the Terracotta Warriors!!
Second is that China is poor. Most poorer countries worship money. You can see similar dynamics in the Ukraine, Philippines, etc. But at the same time, many other countries seem less greedy. I'll never forget how callous one lady i dealt with was about money-- she simply didn't care about feelings-- just money. Even in other Asian countries people will relent.
The other country you WILL see this however, is Vietnam. They are very money obsessed, but they are even poorer tha China.