Actually, i'm not really trying to say the educational system is at an advantage, i'm merely comparing the differences. In my opinion, your long term development is largely determined by what you are exposed to when you are young. And in the case of the Chinese educational system, if you are exposed to nothing but test passing and rigorous academia and nothing else, then it's not going to be beneficial once you come out of the system and enter society.
You are right, that the younger generation of Chinese are not as 'healthy minded' (i guess that's what you meant) in that they grew up in with much better circumstances than their parents did and so did not go through struggles. I think it has a lot to do with the disparity of treatment whilst in education and post education.
Once you are freed from the repressed education system, it is as though you are owed freedom and suddenly you lose all drive to achieve anything else.