In any case, I think China's cohesion can easily be seen just by looking at the differences in papers being published in china vs the west.
For instance, you won't find many if any papers in china on the effects of diversity within society and the workplace. Unlike here, they don't seem to be urgently researching in this area.
Maybe, and just maybe, their research in those areas is not something anybody would be willing to publish.
Also works on the flip side. WW2 and the work stemming form it saw massive technology advancement sin a small period.
Obviously I'd prefer the former. It also feel disingenuous not to recognise the latter. Essentially either comes down to giving scientists goals and opportunity.
Either a society is pushed to do so by an imminent danger (a war or a brink thereof), or by an authoritarian pressure (USSR, China), or starts to slow down (e.g. Russia and, to a smaller degree, USA). "Normal.people" deeply discount long-term goals in favor of immediate consumption.