https://www.zhihu.com/question/22769200 https://www.zhihu.com/question/22769200 first answer to "what is Wuxi like?" starts with "Is Wuxi really a small city?".

https://www.zhihu.com/question/22769200 https://www.zhihu.com/question/22769200 first answer to "what is Wuxi like?" starts with "Is Wuxi really a small city?". And the answer is... it was but isn't really now. So it sounds like this is a common preconception in Chinese too as you say.