Chinese vs American view on long-term projects

[ergophobe]

Every kid in China grows up knowing that they're part of a 5000-year-old civilization... Even when it's fallen, it's always come back, because that's how your people DO things...

In the 1970s and 80s, China embarked on the long road to industrializing itself... These days, people often say, "it'll take 20 years to get manufacturing started again in the US." And the inherent unspoken response to that is, "oh man, that's too long, I guess we're sunk." But the Chinese response is, "Okay, better start working on it then and we'll have it in 20 years."...

No, it's not literally true that China's modern greatness is a reclamation of past greatness, but if that myth gives Chinese people (or ethnically Chinese people) the confidence to get up and work hard day after day, then it has served an important purpose.

https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/you-are-the-heir-to-something-greater