Do Chinese people think that their country is underdeveloped when compared to other countries around the world?  If so, why?

和其他国家相比，中国人认为中国不发达吗？为什么？

以下是Quora网友的评价：

Oliver Liu

To the society, NO. We have convenient high-speed rail, clean and tidy metro station, modern cities and skyscrapers, and variety choice of entertainment, especially in night.

To individuals, absolutely YES. Think about most people still getting 2000 yuan (less than 300 dollar) salary each month and they work so hard day after day. Any serious illness will destroy their life.

对于全社会来说，中国是发达的。我们有四通八达的高铁，有干净整洁的地铁站，有现代化的城市和摩天大楼，还有各种娱乐选择，尤其是在晚上。

对于个人来说，中国还不够发达。大多数人每个月仍然只拿着2000元(不到300美元)的工资，日复一日地努力工作。只要一场大病就足以毁掉他们的生活。

哦妈咪唛唛哄

I think China is a develop country, not an underdeveloped country.

We don’t have high enough GDP, we don’t so many big companies as America, we still have 600 million people getting paid under 1000RMB (140USD) monthly.

One may think China is a developed country when sees news about military power, GDP or something else. But…don’t forget China’s population is 1.4 billion. There’s never been a develop country that has a huge population and GDP per capita is around 12000 USD before China. Therefore, people may be confused how a develop could be powerful like this. These people needs a reason to explain all this confusing facts, and what they’ve concluded is that China has become a developed country. But truth nonetheless, people around the world needs to realize that a develop country like China really could be powerful and accept that China will still be a develop country for a long long time.

我认为中国是一个发展中国家，但不是欠发达国家。

我们的GDP还不够高，我们还没有美国那么多大公司，我们仍然有6亿人扣每月收入低于1000元人民币(140美元)。

当看到有关军事力量、GDP或其他方面的新闻时，人们可能会认为中国已经是发达国家了。但是别忘了中国有14亿人口。在中国之前，从未有过哪个发展中国家拥有如此庞大的人口，人均GDP还达到12000美元。

因此，人们可能会感到困惑，一个发展中国家如何能够如此强大。这些人需要一个理由来解释这些令人困惑的事实，所以他们得出的结论是，中国已经是一个发达国家了。

但事实是，世界各国人民必须明白，中国这样的发展中国家确实可以强大起来，但也需要接受中国在很长一段时间内仍将是一个发展中国家的事实。

Rabbit Secretary

"Whether it's a yes or no, when I contemplate these matters, I often find myself wearing a smile.

This is because, when we compare China to developed countries like the United States, England, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and others, it's evident that China exhibits a mixed profile.

In some areas, we might surpass these countries in development, while in others, we may lag behind. There's a multitude of perspectives suggesting that these developed countries excel in various aspects compared to China.

无论答案如何，当我思考这些问题时，我常常发现自己面带微笑。

这是因为，如果我们把中国与美国、英国、日本、韩国、新加坡等发达国家进行比较，中国显然复杂得多。

中国有些方面可能已经超过这些国家，但有些方面还可能落后。有很多观点表明，这些发达国家在很多方面都比中国强。

I don't intend to pass judgment on these ideas.

Rather, I'd like to explore why these perceptions exst, and why some consider China less developed in comparison.

The answer is quite simple: we, the Chinese people, are inclined to benchmark ourselves against all other nations in numerous domains.

For instance, we compare ourselves to the United States in AI and technology, to Japan in the automotive industry, and to Korea in the smartphone market.

我不打算对这些想法进行评判。

相反，我想探讨这些看法为什么会存在，为什么有些人认为中国不够发达。

答案很简单：我们中国人在很多领域都喜欢以其他国家作为比较基准。

例如，我们在人工智能和技术领域会跟美国比，在汽车领域跟日本比，在智能手机领域跟韩国比。

What we often focus on are the areas where we fall short, rather than where we excel. This leads to the perception that China lags behind in development.

Take the example of China successfully develo an atomic bomb in an extremely arduous environment; to some, this accomplishment appears routine.

People perpetually desire to match or surpass the accomplishments of others, which, in part, contributes to the notion that China is less developed when compared to many other countries.

我们通常更关注于我们的不足之处，而非我们的擅长之处，这导致人们认为中国的发展还比较落后。

以中国在极其艰苦的环境下成功研制原子弹为例，对有些人来说，这一伟大成就好像也只是一件稀疏平常的事。

人们总是渴望赶上或超过别人的成就，这在一定程度上导致了中国和许多其他国家相比欠发达的观念。

Qi Pang

Almost all Chinese people think of "underdeveloped countries".

Well-educated Chinese people understand the key points of the gap and know the industrial strengths and weaknesses of some countries in the world. For example, the semiconductor industry in mainland China is inferior to TSMC and Samsung Electronics. The movie industry, for example, is inferior to Hollywood in the United States. For example, the per capita income is not as good as many, many countries, and the welfare system and not as good as foreign countries.

几乎所有中国人都认为中国是“不发达国家”。

受过良好教育的中国人了解差距的关键点，也了解其他国家的产业优劣势。例如，中国大陆的半导体产业不如台积电和三星电子。例如，中国的电影业不如美国的好莱坞。例如，中国的人均收入不如很多国家，福利制度也不如国外。

China without a good education also understands the gap, for example, China's semiconductor foreign countries. For example, the movie industry is inferior to foreign countries. For example, the per capita income is inferior to many foreign countries. For example, the welfare system is inferior to foreign countries.

Is it out of your expectation.

There is an old man who answered the question who may not have been to China

没有受过良好教育的中国人也理解这种差距，例如，中国的半导体不如国外。例如，中国的电影业不如国外。例如，中国的人均收入不如很多国家，福利制度也不如国外。

是不是出乎你的意料呢。

有位老人曾经回答过这个问题，他可能并没有去过中国

Chinedu Nwachinemere

It's important to note that China is a vast and diverse country, and opinions can vary among its population. However, in general, many Chinese people do not consider their country as underdeveloped compared to others.

China has achieved rapid economic growth and development over the past few decades, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and becoming the world's second-largest economy. This progress has resulted in significant advancements in infrastructure, technology, education, healthcare, and living standards in many areas of the country.

中国是一个幅员辽阔、多元化的国家，人们的观点可能会有所不同。不过总的来说，许多中国人并不认为他们的国家不如其他国家发达。

在过去几十年里，中国取得了快速的经济增长和发展，数亿人成功摆脱了贫困，成为世界第二大经济体。这一进展使中国许多地区在基础设施、技术、教育、医疗保健和生活水平方面取得了重大进展。

However, there are still some aspects where China seeks further development or improvement. For example, some Chinese people may believe that China lags behind technologically advanced countries like the United States or certain European nations. This perception can stem from the dominance of Western technological giants, the development of cutting-edge technologies, or certain socioeconomic indicators.

Additionally, China faces challenges related to regional disparities in development. While urban areas like Beiing and Shanghai may be highly developed, rural areas or less economically developed regions might still exhibit infrastructure gaps or lower living standards. This disparity can lead to some individuals considering their specific region or aspect as comparatively underdeveloped.

但中国仍有一些方面需要进一步发展和完善。例如，有些中国人可能认为中国落后于技术先进的国家，比如美国或某些欧洲国家。这种看法可能源于西方科技巨头的主导地位、尖端技术的发展或某些社会经济指标。

此外，中国还面临着各地区发展程度不同的挑战。北京和上海等城市地区可能已经高度发达，但农村地区或经济欠发达地区可能仍然存在基础设施或生活水平的差距。这种差异可能导致一些人认为他们所在的地区并不发达。

Ultimately, it is essential to recognize that China's perception of development is multifaceted and influenced by various factors such as personal experiences, exposure to different perspectives, and access to information.

最后，我们必须认识到，中国对发展的看法是多方面的，受到个人经历、接触不同观点和信息渠道等各种因素的影响。

Aya Shawn

You are right, this view is the same as what I saw.

All the Chinese people I interact with, without exception, say that China is an "underdeveloped country".

It was already 2017 when I visited China for the first time.

你说得对，这个观点和我观察到的情况一样。

我接触过的所有中国人都无一例外地说，中国是一个“不发达国家”。

我第一次访华是在2017年。

The China I saw (at least the big cities I went to) was completely like a developed country, and many details even exceeded those of most developed countries.

At least in my mind, "underdeveloped countries" should at least be some like African countries, Bangladesh, or even India.

But China is nothing like these places.

我看到的中国(至少我去过的大城市)完全就是发达国家的模样，很多细微之处甚至超过了大多数发达国家。

至少在我看来，“不发达国家”应该指的是非洲国家、孟加拉国甚至印度等国。

但中国和这些地方截然不同。

They have unparalleled public transportation facilities, convenient cashless payment systems, the world's widest urban roads, a spiderweb of highway networks, the world's best high-speed railways, and the world's most stylish airports.

When I was sick, their hospitals, although overcrowded, were still the most efficient I had ever seen. Their school is in good order. Shared bicycles can be seen everywhere on the streets, and express delivery and takeout are very fast.

中国拥有无与伦比的公共交通设施，便利的无现金支付系统，世界上最宽阔的城市道路，蜘蛛网般四通八达的高速公路网络，世界上最好的高速铁路，以及世界上最时尚的机场。

我生病的时候，他们的医院虽然人满为患，但仍然是我所见过效率最高的医疗系统。他们的学校秩序井然。共享单车在大街上随处可见，快递和外卖都非常迅速。

There are all kinds of delicious food everywhere at night, it is very lively even in the early morning, and it is very safe.

Chinese people buy the most family cars and the most smartphones in the world every year.

In short, as far as I can see, I don’t see anything that looks like an “underdeveloped country”. Even when I go to a small village in Guizhou, what I see is clean and tidy, although there are not so many skyscrapers.

晚上到处都是各种美味的食物，大清早也很热闹，而且也很安全。

中国人每年购买了全球最多的家用汽车和智能手机。

简而言之，在我看来，我看到的一切都和“不发达国家”毫无关系。甚至我去过贵州的一个小村庄，看到的也是干净整洁的环境，只是摩天大楼少了点。

OK, I asked my Chinese friends with this question.

They always laughed and said to me: "What you said is true, but China is still an underdeveloped country."

One person told me: "China will remain an underdeveloped country for at least 10,000 years."

When I couldn't understand their thoughts and needed further explanation, they would all mention one word invariably: "per capita data."

我问过我的中国朋友这个问题。

他们总是笑着对我说：“你说得对，但中国还是不发达国家。”

有人告诉我：“中国在未来至少一万年里都还会是一个不发达国家。”

我不明白他们的说法，进一步询问时，他们都会不约而同地提到一个词：“人均数据”。

I have nothing to say. Indeed, any huge achievements will be eclipsed by a population of 1.4 billion.

For example, per capita income is less than US$20,000

For example, the number of cars per capita

For example, the housing area per capita

For example, the number of doctors per capita

For example, the number of iPhones per capita

They will mention various data, various "numbers per capita"

于是我无话可说了。确实，任何巨大的成就也会在14亿人口面前黯然失色。

例如，人均收入还不足2万美元

例如，人均汽车数量

例如，人均住房面积

例如，人均医生数量

例如，人均iphone数量

他们会提到各种数据，各种“人均数据”

One young man even mentioned the "number of aircraft carriers per capita" and "the number of nuclear weapons per capita" and then told me that China is the country with the weakest military power in the world. Of course, he meant "military power per capita."

I think that in the eyes of the Chinese, until their “number per capita” catches up with the United States, they will feel that they are not an “underdeveloped country”.

If you think about it carefully, it seems that their logic is correct.

But every time I visit China and experience firsthand what Chinese society is like, I feel like something is wrong.

有个年轻人甚至提到了“人均航空母舰数量”和“人均核武器数量”，然后告诉我中国是世界上军事实力最弱的国家。当然，他指的是“人均军事力量”。

我想，在中国人眼里，除非他们的“人均数据”赶超美国，他们才愿意接受自己不再是“不发达国家”吧。

但仔细想想，他们的逻辑似乎也没毛病。

但每次我去到中国，亲眼看到中国社会的模样时，总觉得有些不对劲。

David Weiser

No, far from it, but it’s not quite at a developed level yet.

China has made massive and impressive progress along all economic indicators. It’s built up tons of fancy infrastructure, built up a Western style middle class, lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, and has become a technological powerhouse. Yet for all that progress, living standards aren’t at Western levels yet. It has a lower GDP per capita than Greece or Poland, and it has lots of people still living in deep poverty.

不，中国还没有达到发达国家水平。

中国在所有经济指标上都取得了巨大而令人印象深刻的进步。中国建造了大量高大上的基础设施，建立了一个西式的中产阶级，使数亿人摆脱了贫困，一跃成为技术强国。尽管取得了这些进步，但中国的生活水平还没有达到西方国家的水平。中国的人均GDP还低于希腊和波兰，还有很多人仍然生活在极度贫困中。