In China, economy dogged at decade's end.

In some ways, China rivals or even surpasses the most developed parts of the U.S., like the Chinese high speed rail network. The bullet train is clean, efficient and can take passengers from Shanghai to Beijing in 4.5 hours. However, a short drive from Shanghai's financial center, there are still parts of China struggling to acquire the basics - things like a flushing toilet.

On average, China's employees work 12 hours more per week than their U.S. counterparts, but this might not...