Much as I hate to quote Labor ideas past (RIP), the true worth of a country is in the way it treats its most vulnerable...
In China, the law is that women are equal to men in every way - the reality is that they are not, and remain largely in the sphere of 'homemaker' or 25yo+ 'leftover woman'... also to add to this mix, given that these 'leftover women' who often are in the top bracket in many ways, find it impossible to have an 'illegitimate' child. The law is that such children will not be adversely treated - but the reality is that they can and usually are refused healthcare and education and so forth, and the same can happen to their mothers.
Essentially these children and sometimes their mothers can instantly become Uncitizens..... contrast that with the West where we have laissez-faire breeding programs sponsored by government... or at the very least we ensure that children from any source get a fair go.
Remember that little blurb about the mess hall at Guantanamo Bay? It's not in the manual, the nation just kind of follows the crowd - written rules v culture, innit?
For such a 'superior' culture, Middle Kingdomese is very, very backward in many ways. No wonder the high class play wants to leave town....