"Why don't educated Chinese people revolt against communist rule and bring about democracy in China? Seems simple enough, right?" The question from Quora, a popular online knowledge market based in the US, has recently sparked a heated debate in China with a brilliant answer from Chinese netizen Michelle Zhou. By comparing two photos taken from the same site of her hometown Shanghai, Zhou showed the huge difference 20 years has made to the city, adding that "from blank to this in 20 years … with no oil in the ground! Do we look like we're being oppressed? Do we look like we're brainwashed? Do we look like we don't have freedom? Do we look like we need a better government? Thank you for your offering, China is doing fine with meritocracy."

While the answer was applauded, the logic behind the question is worth pondering. Why do people from the West always think a color revolution is inevitable in China? Westerners take their own democracy as a universal value and worse, they have also spared no effort in promoting the system worldwide, sometimes through violent ways.

The countries that underwent revolutions in the name of "pursuing democracy" have mostly ended up with chaotic politics, turbulent societies and depressed economies. Even so, the West is still arguing that there is nothing wrong with Western democracy, it's those countries themselves that failed in the transition.

The West's belief in democracy as well as the assumption that Beijing will likely encounter a color revolution one day has become a large stumbling block in getting to know today's China. They fail to realize the improving living standards of Chinese people, safety in Chinese cities and stability in Chinese society. The nation's current prosperity shows that our own methods of development work. Granted, there are a number of difficulties to be overcome, but even quite a few democratic governments must admit that they can hardly achieve China's accomplishment within such a short time. Hence, living in a society that is thriving day by day, educated or not, why would Chinese revolt against the current rule instead of perfecting it?

It is time for the West to re-evaluate its opinion of China. It's going to be a historic process. Yet if Western nations can go beyond their previous misunderstandings, carefully research China and acknowledge that there are other development modes that are equally reasonable and efficient as theirs, not only will they stop raising silly questions, more tragedies can also be avoided. In this case, Zhou's answer is the best way to disprove the Western mindset - good governance is better than good democracy.