RE: They take great pride in copying something perfectly. While that skill does have its uses, it doesn’t produce very much in the way of new ideas, solutions, or things. It produces a very stale and stagnant culture with very little room to grow. Welcome the world of lords and subjects.
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You know, the above used to be said of the Japanese and Koreans too.
And yet they did grow past the just copying mentality to become what they are now at least to some degree or another. They did what the Roman’s did. They took the ideas of the Etruscans’ and then made there own changes for the better. That set them apart from everyone else and we can learn about the results from history.
Also note that the Japanese are going through a huge age demographics shift as well and its not good for them, they haven’t completely escaped the trappings of the past. The same can be said for the younger generation of Koreans who cannot identify with the older generation and there understanding and experience with communism which may prove to be fatal at some later date.
I will also point out that eventually the Romans lost their way, several centuries of debasing the currency(see bread and circuses) also debased the culture into the lords and subject. Its a cycle, and unfortunately that cycle usually only goes one way with the very small exception of say a thousand years or so between each one.