Visitors read about Watergate and Nixon’s resignation during a visit to The Richard Nixon Library & Museum in Yorba Linda last year. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG ...

Richard Nixon was born in 1913 in California. He had a tough start in life. His parents’ lemon farm failed and two of his brothers died in childhood. He didn’t let any of that hold him back.

In contrast, contemporary Chinese youth exhibit a more relaxed take on these social norms, often treating age differences with less formality. This shift raises the question: Are young Chinese people ...