In 50 years, look for great Chinese service

Chinese people must have rudeness class in school. Having had almost a week of people turning their back to you when you are asking to buy something, speaking loudly (and angrily) to you in Chinese when you hesitate to buy something, and trying to cheat you when you actually do (a pot of yoghurt, normal price 4 yuan, foreigner price 20 yuan - although I admit I was stupid enough not to haggle, or ask the price first). Even in the nice stores, they are rude, and will actually not deliver on their own promises (like, saying "since there were 110 grammes of tea left, you can get it for the price of 100" - and then charging you for 110). They do not understand that they have made a promise, even. I mostly laugh, but it makes their constant spitting seem almost polite.
Sometimes, they really try. The girls at the Lao She Tea House did actually try to be helpful, but you could tell they were novices at it. Maybe the problem is that they do not dare go outside their instructions to the letter - and there are no managers to ask (because they are either not there, or afraid to go outside their orders).
However. If you are bad at something, you can either fail or improve. And I think the Chinese will improve. I am old enough to remember my parents complaining about "shoddy Japanese junk", and I am sure it was before quality circles and kaizen. In 50 years, my kids will remember their parents complaining about lousy Chinese service, and wonder why, when the Chinese are the most service minded in the world.
Maybe it will take a hundred years. But it will happen, I am sure. And then, where does that leave rude French waiters and German shopkeepers?