In China, riding a motorcycle must be worn with a helmet, claiming to prevent injuries. In the United States, motorcycle riders are not required to wear helmets, but must wear goggles to prevent eye irritation from dust and sand, which could lead to accidents, and that could very likely harm others. The essence is:

Chinese governance, on the surface, is about protecting people. But the long-term result is that people gradually lose: risk judgment ability, self-responsibility, and independent decision-making skills.
Because the system defaults: you do not have the ability to handle risks, so you need to be managed.
Over time, people will start to get used to: waiting for standard answers, waiting for system review, waiting for platform filtering, waiting for others to tell them what is safe.
Eventually, a personality type forms: unable to judge, only obedient. Many rules in China are not about "too much control" per se. Instead: they gradually cause society to lose the "adult consciousness."
Deeper still, the fundamental reason is the structural alliance between "risk control" and "centralized power." When a system continuously takes on risks for you, it also gradually gains the power to make decisions on your behalf.
The most stable state of power is not to oppress everyone outright, but to gradually make the majority lose the ability to "must resist."