Good point. I would suggest from what I've seen, that a lot of Chinese defense dollars historically go into showboating and not into the mud and blood end of training. That is still kind of true of what we currently see in their air and naval operations, but I can't comment on their army. Someone else who has experience in that area should comment.  

  Chinese soldiers seldom train as part of a combined arms team. In a country as big as China  they provide humanitarian support services that in America is done by the Army National Guard. Engineering planning and services for rail, road, waterway and military air fields are done as a part of national defense policy and include the supervision of civilian contractors and Army owned and operated factories, prisons and fortifications.  Also, ike the American frontier soldiers of the post Civil War era they have a constablery function, enforcing law, fighting bandits supporting government dictates. Units live in garrison where most of their training takes place, field training in certain areas of the country is impossible in winter. Unlike western soldiers the Chinese soldier is not often used as an instrument of national external power projection, when they are they suffer badly, IE: Korea, Vietnam Incursion. The Navy and AF are usually the power players but that may change.