You have to remember that in the US, people don't have time to think about what others think.
They don't go around thinking, what would people say if I drive a very big nice car. Or what would they think if I wear a big diamond. People live according to how they want to live and not how others want them to live. Let people do what they want with their money as long as they are not hurting other people.
Yes, it would be great for everyone to have the same amount of money and have the same life style, but as you already know, that just doesn't work. People are greedy which is good. Some people want to do better than others, work harder than others, work smarter than others, so if you restrict this, then you are putting down people who have the energy to make something better than the rest. They should be encouraged not hindered. Will China follow the USA way of life? If you like working all the time and studying hard then follow.
Just because you see all these TV programs with people with lots of money, that doesnt mean a lot of people have a lot of money in real life. Most people are working 9-5 job and bareling paying their bills. So if that's the life style you want, then go right ahead do it.
While in China, I noticed people walk slow, they take their time to go from one place to another. They think slower because they want to make sure they evaluate all the possible options, which is great. People take their time eating and enjoying once anothers company. People ride bikes slowly as if they are on a long vacation. It's different. Just imagine what you see and do speeded up by a factor of 5 or 8 and then you get the U.S.A.
I know China is going through a transition point and everything is changing fast and you have to adapt to what is going on and sometimes you get confused but just make sure that you don't blame the bad things on outside forces. You need to look at yourselves and stop blaming things on other people or other countries.
Most other countries don't want to imposed or want you to adopt to their life styles, they could be careless if you do or dont, they just want to be themselves. Let your people decide what they want to do for themselves as individuals; whats good for them, not what you think is good for them or the group. Those days are over.
Its time to do what you're interested in and enjoy what you do and do it better than anyone else.