China has long culture of believing in studying hard and becoming part of the system as the route to success. (The imperial exam system.) Although it no longer

China has long culture of believing in studying hard and becoming part of the system as the route to success. (The imperial exam system.) Although it no longer formerly exists, there are analogues and the influence is still there. It is ingrained from birth that you study hard, get into the right university then reap the rewards. Beijing locals I talked to were puzzled by the idea that government workers in the west could get in trouble by accepting gifts and favours. In China, that's the main reason you would follow that career path. This doesn't lead to a very entrepreneurial culture, although there are many who will still try to start their own business. Then you start to hit the barriers discussed in the article. Another barrier you can hit is that if you start to become successful, the government will appoint a party member to your management. Further, if you are in certain fields, the government erects tax and regulatory obstacles that will create an advantage for state-owned enterprises. It's unfortunate... there are enough in the under-35 age group, who might actually break out of the old culture and innovate. They face a lot of obstacles and that will be bad for China's long-term outlook.