Maybe the social mechanism is different ... traditionally, China is a self-sufficient economy and does not need to expand outward, so it does not need pillar coal and so on. For China at that time, the appearance of coal only meant an inexhaustible fuel (from the ancient population), at most, oil was applied to flamethrowers. In addition, traditionally, workers and military attaché s who supported outward expansion did not occupy a major position in politics. Therefore, there is no need for traditional China to move towards industrial civilization.

In fact, the western view of history is contrary to most eastern civilizations. For example, the order in which China's literary works appear is completely opposite to that of the West. Strictly speaking, China didn't even meet the basic conditions of the Neolithic Age and slavery society defined by the West (not backward, but it means that if we follow the traditional way of eastern civilization, we may walk out of a completely different road from western civilization).