The Chinese as Homo oeconomicus (economic human)

Maurice Freedman once said, which I couldn't agree more: "The Chinese were economically successful in South-East Asia not simply because they were energetic immigrants, but more fundamentally because in their quest for riches they knew how to handle money and organize men in relation to money." ("The handling of money: a note on the background to the economic sophistication of the overseas Chinese," Man, Vol. 19 (Apr., 1959), pp. 64-5)