The China that Americans see is very different.

The China that Americans see is very different. The perspective is unique and profound, worthy of intellectuals. I am a New Yorker who just returned from China. On the surface, they are communist countries. But many people leave comments under my TikTok saying they are actually a hybrid of communism and socialism. There are large shopping malls. They have all the stores we have. No advertising bombardment, no tipping culture. They pride themselves on prosperity. Their New Year's wish is "May you be prosperous." People value money highly. Some people never take loans. They consider debt or begging shameful. Most people there have no religious beliefs, but all religions exist. They have freedom of religion, but you cannot openly promote them. It can be said that they have practiced their needs to the extreme. They have practiced their needs to the extreme. For example, remember the story of "Zhang Ziyi" in "Kung Fu." You will understand how profound this influence is. A principle of Confucianism is "To err and not correct is to err indeed." For example, stealing once is wrong. If you continue to steal, it becomes a crime. This is a culture that learns from its mistakes. They remember the lessons of the Opium Wars and refuse to repeat them, so drug control is extremely strict. Many people have biased definitions of "freedom." I learned a little in China. That is what true freedom is. They are the freest yet most restrained people I have ever met. I have to do facial recognition everywhere, do I care? Even if they have all my data. So what? I'm not a criminal. Only criminals care about this kind of "freedom." This is the Confucian viewpoint: "Do not repeat mistakes, and practice them diligently rather than just talking about them." They are the most cautious people I have ever met. Of course, they also have problems. For example, I've seen many people cut in line. But I just want to remind you, "Don't cut in line." They will go to the back of the line. They will try to explore the boundaries of the rules, but they will stop when appropriate. Honestly, sometimes I feel ashamed of America. Because Chinese people practice virtue, while we only talk about it and don't act on it.