Yeah bro, there were kings and feudal lords and chieftains and emperors (like Rome) all over the rest of the world for thousands of years too. To say that the Chinese are incapable of democracy because being ruled by an autocrat steadily increasing his own power is their "way of life" is frankly insulting to the Chinese.
The Chinese are one of the most crowded nations for a long long time, and their dynamics, views, priorities and choices are different. Also they have a much different history on social dynamics and outcomes.
Judging their systems and dynamics from our point of view misses the point in some cases.
There's an eye opening video about "The Social Credit System" from CCC (Chaos Communication Conference). Take a look if you have time:
