Yeah really. I've gone through security with pretty big knives by accident and gotten "啊!你的水果刀" "your fruit knife", and it was apologetically confiscated with little hassle. Although I'm sure stereotyping (white skin not poor) worked positively in my favor. While in the US, for example, I go through with cup of demonstrably potable liquid and have to do some petty compliance exercise like take a walk around the terminal and wait in line to be screened by the same person again. I think it might have do do with rule by law vs rule of law