I used to think that the Chinese copied things that other people did because they wanted to make a living off of it. But lately I've been wondering if there's (1) a culture-wide case of not-built-here-ism, (2) a fear of doing things differently, and last but not least (3) the fact interactions in Chinese culture seem remarkably and subtlely different from interactions in Western culture.<p>(1) explains why they would clone something as mundane (and not wildly profitable) as github (as linked elsewhere in these comments).
(2) explains why I have heard Singaporean friends from school say, lets make a Singaporean Yelp! Westerners say, lets make a yelp for <different purpose>.
(3) explains why they would want their own forums and "public spaces."<p>These reasons seem as plausible (and a lot less malicious) than merely, the Chinese copy everything for fun and profit (even though there are elements of that elsewhere), and I think it's worth thinking about these differences in culture, because it helps us look into our own faults.