Happy new year, everyone.

Great article.
The carrot and stick analogy never worked. It is somewhat puritanical (19th century patriarchal) thinking. It sometimes works for donkeys, but not for people. The carrot motivates some, the stick demotivates others, and the majority have always been content to ordinary. Hence the working persons' saying, ‘a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay’; notice the order of work for pay.
A more modern spin would be that subjects are either people are motivated towards (positive outcomes), or people who are motivated away from (negative outcomes) people. On one management course I did, it was said that research shows that people are only really motived ‘away from’.
In the carrot and stick analogy, some people hold most of the carrots. They release some occasionally, but usually frugally. It creates the illusion that anyone who works hard can succeed, and perhaps assuages the conscience of those who wield the sticks. It supports the false notion that the poor are poor because they are feckless and lazy. In the 21st century, we can see that the 1% hold more than half of the carrots.
Most of the Chinese parents I meet honestly believe that their children are exceptional, never average. Statistically, not everyone can be above average. But the kids are starting to wake up and smell the coffee, and have decided that maybe they don’t like coffee. If we apply game theory for a moment, and we see that the game is rigged, and realise that we cannot win, then one option is to refuse to play. China’s Buddhist Youth seem to be moving towards this option, as have the youth of many developed countries around the world. People decide to go ‘off grid’, or drop out, or become hippies, or live in the woods/dessert.
On a personal note, I think my life would have been a lot happier if I was brought up to live an ordinary life. Rather than being told I was exceptional, and that if I did not achieve I had failed or let my parents down

Or maybe they don’t consider that to be baijiu.

Literally 'another year' then.

It is the same in many countries. Hotel staff in UK have been found to just wipe cups with a bath towel. It does not matter how well you train people, if they only have 15 mins (or less) to service a room they will do what they need to do to finish on time, and avoid getting fired for being too slow. This is especially true in the big international chains. I am sure Fox, the world's most balanced news source, would find similar stories in NY, if they did research; not much danger of that though.
My Chinese wife will never, and has never used hotel cups. We buy paper cups.