I expect that the problem would be less pronounced in China, given that the Japanese can revert to kana if they forget the kanji, whereas the Chinese have no ot

I expect that the problem would be less pronounced in China, given that the Japanese can revert to kana if they forget the kanji, whereas the Chinese have no other choice but to remember the characters. That said, I've heard of, and even seen once or twice, Chinese people forgetting how to write common words like "sneeze" (喷嚏). So it does happen.