Is the 'Chinese Image' Real? Deciphering the End of the 'Growth Myth' from a Ground-Level Perspective

The China I visited about 14 years ago is vastly different from the China of today. One might expect it to be overflowing with people and economic activity, but there is a reality of suffering through over a decade of deflation. Why did it fall into deflation, and what are the Chinese people living in Japan suffering from? I will explain how citizens, including those in a brainwashed Japan, can wake up.

🇨🇳 The 'Changes' That Progressed Behind Economic Development

14 years ago, China was in the midst of rapid growth, a country full of 'momentum' with vibrant cities and regions, consumption and investment fever, and a population explosion. However, today the situation has changed completely, with challenges such as a real estate recession, a sharp rise in youth unemployment, and cooling consumer sentiment becoming apparent.

China is the world's largest economic zone and has aimed to transition from the 'factory of the world' to the 'market of the world,' but a clear deflationary trend has continued since 2023. Rapid urbanization, large-scale investment, and the collapse of the real estate bubble are intertwined, casting a dark shadow over the real economy.

🤔 Why Did China Fall into Deflation?

① Prolonged Real Estate Recession

Real estate-related sectors have accounted for nearly 30% of China's GDP, but the bubble burst due to tightened government regulations. Stagnant sales, falling prices, rising inventory, and stalled new investment continue, and the negative impact is spreading to the construction industry and related sectors.

② Cooling Consumer Sentiment

The prolonged zero-COVID policy, city lockdowns, and declining incomes have dampened the public's desire to consume. Corporate profits are also being squeezed, and employment and wage growth are stalling. In particular, the youth unemployment rate is rising, becoming a hotbed for social unrest.

③ Overproduction and Deflationary Exports

In response to sluggish domestic demand, government-led investment expansion has led to excessive industrial supply capacity, creating a vicious cycle of oversupply → export expansion → intensified price competition → deflationary exports. The background to this includes insufficient expansion of domestic demand and a structure of excessive investment.

🤯 How to Break the Brainwashing

Both China and Japan remain trapped in 'growth myths' and 'economic superpower images,' unable to face reality. Through ' groupthink,' such as real estate investment and excessive employment policies, postponing problems has become a habit.

👀 How Citizens Can Wake Up

- The power to question economic news (fact-checking and gathering information from multiple perspectives)
- Asset protection at the individual level (multi-currency management, foreign currency holdings, international diversification)
- Expanding choices for consumption, investment, and labor (self-help, diverse career design)
- It is important to learn from the 'outside world' and act with a global perspective, not just limited to Japan or China.

📺 Why the Japanese Image of Chinese People Is Divergent

The image of Chinese people in Japan often tends to emphasize negative aspects such as 'bad manners,' 'noisy in public places,' and 'littering' due to the increase in tourists and information on news and social media. However, this is often the result of overgeneralizing certain behaviors, and there are many cases where differences in cultural backgrounds and customs between the two countries create misunderstandings.

💡 Actual Chinese People Are Polite!

Many of the Chinese people who live in Japan or stay for long periods to work or study are a group with strong personal will and high motivation to learn. There are many Chinese people who come to Japan after clearing institutional hurdles who are very good at following etiquette and manners.

🤔 Why Is It Easy for Japanese People to Misunderstand?

There are fundamental differences in manners between Japan and China. In China, values and manners such as 'expressing one's opinion directly,' 'not making noise while eating,' and 'apologizing = taking serious responsibility' do not necessarily align with those in Japan. This difference being perceived as 'lacking common sense' is a factor in the worsening image.

Also, the Japanese side's 'culture of not pointing things out' and 'difficulty in giving feedback' also influence the reality that misunderstandings and friction are difficult to resolve.

🇨🇳 Why the High Motivation and Manners of Chinese People in Japan Are Remarkable

Chinese people who choose to come to Japan and continue to live here are a group with outstanding determination and motivation to learn. They not only adapt to rules but also actively learn and practice local customs regarding manners.Problematic behavior is actually the minorityand the reality is that the majority live with moderation and are making efforts to adapt to Japanese society.

🇯🇵 What Are the Manners of Japanese People Toward Chinese People?

The image that 'Chinese people have bad manners,' which is circulated in Japanese media and on social media, often distorts the overall picture.The vast majority of Chinese people who come to Japan are strong-willed and properly observe manners and rulesUnderstanding the differences between the two countries and promoting mutual understanding at the individual level is a major step toward coexistence, and that is the path to breaking free from brainwashing.

🔮 Next time... What are the entrance exam situation and educational disparities in China?

During my visit to China in November, I actually visited schools in regional cities that are not listed in guidebooks.
Through the sight of students studying desperately and dialogues with teachers, I felt the reality of China's entrance exam war firsthand.
The entrance exam situation differs greatly between regional cities and major cities.
Amidst a volume of study that cannot be compared to Japan, there are cases where many children become mentally ill or take their own lives.
That influence extends not only to students but also to teachers.
Next time, I will convey the reality of China's entrance exam war while incorporating actual interviews.
Please look forward to it!