You should come to Shanghai and see it for yourself. There was a time when I honestly thought it was the best city in the world.
That said, China is a huge country, and the regional differences are really something. Especially in the north, you can travel just a few hundred kilometers and suddenly feel like you’re looking at a completely different place. Sometimes it honestly feels like you’re not even in the same country.
But one thing I have to give China credit for: the speed of urban development is pretty incredible. The changes in cities, infrastructure and transportation over the past few decades have been massive.