Some people talk about culture declining, but I notice a hundred yrs ago illiterate rate was 80% of the population. In other words, much of the population are too poor even to learn how to read.
The goodness in Chinese culture need people who can read and write if majority of the population can barely even make the ends meet how you expect the mainstream culture can not be vulgar.
It’s not about culture declining, the good things always exist just never popularised. I assume this is just normal we have to recognise but do not blame.
Meandering leads to perfection 