"The world's as ugly as sin, and almost as delightful" - Frederick Locker-Lampson
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I am told that in China there isn't much charity because the emphasis is on helping friends and contacts rather than social responsibility. Social responsibility and community-building projects in China are practised by foreigners, not locals.
Somebody (I was told) did an exercise in Asia and Australia surveying what respondents would do if they won a million dollars. China and Taiwan were the only countries where no one said he'd donate to charity.
In a related note, not correcting superiors because you want to give them face might be one reason why its progress was retarded for so long.