A Voyage in the East

From my limited experience with China I can say that hubris is a huge part of Chinese history. The Great Wall was constructed by an Emperor who decided that he needed to build a huge wall to keep out the Mongols. Millions of slaves were employed in the walls construction, which is truly one of the greatest accompishments in human history. A 50 foot high wall, 30 feet wide wall was constructed at the top of a mountain range. 1 million people died in its construction, and it didn't work. The Mongols bribed the guards at the gate. (Corruption has always been a problem in China!)
It is a similar story with the Terracota warriors. 1.5 million people were involved in carving stone soldiers and digging a big tomb so that the emperor could be buried with his armies.
At times, hubris became nemisis, such as during the Cultural Revolution. Given China's history I say that the current China is better off than it has ever been before. There are some signs that a society based on the rule of law is developing in China. If that is the case, it is a real step forward in Chinese history and life will most likely be better here because of it.