In China, wealth distribution is not determined by your level of effort, but by your distance from the source. Here, the relationship between effort and reward is often non-linear, depending on how much "meat" is in your bowl, not how fast you run, but which node you are at in the energy flow. Imagine the person at the very end of a water pipe; even if they turn the tap to the maximum, they still have to watch the upstream market conditions—that's called node dividends. Many people spend their entire lives exhausting their physical strength but never look up to see how the pipeline is laid out. Remember, in a highly centralized system, being close to the source is itself a huge asset. If you can't become the water source, at least identify who is holding the valve.