Perhaps they thought you a tall poppy to be trimmed down, very common in confucian societies where individualism is seen as some kind of evil.

Individualism is indeed seen as a kind of evil by the de facto conclusion of what compromises Confucianism. The way it has been implemented in the societies in which it has flourished in is nothing but a heretic grouping of society into strict hierarchies which have ruined countless lives and will continue to create problems for freedom loving folks who live in these countries due to its vices being incredibly vague and unable to be defined unless it comes out of the woodwork when used by folks with wicked agendas in a more or less improvised way. Unfortunately when you apply this to money making practices as well as politicking both of which are not always concrete even in the most lawful societies you can have problems on an immense level. It can even be contagious, and it forms barriers within the brain which enact as more or less anti-intelligence and marginalize important things such as good conscious as well as common sense.

Deviant people will always try to hide things as well as they can, so the best resolution to this is to establish defined boundaries of morals, ethics, and laws which everyone in a country must follow no matter how much power or money they may have. China and the Koreas still have a long long way to go before they can call themselves consistent, civilized, conscious folks. I must stop before I sound like I'm toting slogans as is too common with these places. Idealization before doing! Can't say I miss that at all.