Disregarding real estate, the primary difference between when golf was rolled out internationally a hundred years ago, and the situation in China today, I think is the direct link the early developed courses had to British courses, and British tastes. Whether it's a Garden City, a Copenhagen GC, a Morfontaine or a Kingston Heath, or any of the other courses that are revered as understated classics today (dramatic bunkering at the latter notwithstanding), these are all influenced by the quirky, understated tastes of Edwardian Britain. The eccentric who played golf at his uncle's summerhouse in Elie or St Andrews, and who now wants a golf course to enjoy with his friends (a fairly typical client a century ago), is not your typical client in China today.
The prevailing aesthetic in China today is big, bold and colorful. This is expressed in golf courses as well. Something striking and bold is easy to experience, it takes good pictures, it sells real estate, and I think it's currently perceived in China as superior simply as a matter of taste. Our client at Shanqin Bay didn't want something unnecessarily grand, but this was likely a circumstance of personal preference merging happily with ours, not a broader indication of golf development trends in China.
If there's any kind of silver lining in the currently depressed state of the golf business in the US, it might be that designers and operators will be forced to think more carefully about rediscovering golf values for their customers, which may lead to more bland-looking courses that are more fun to play because they have interesting contours that provide strategic propositions, at a lower price point than courses comprised of acres of sand and water hazards. We'll see..