The rice theory advocates that southern China leans towards a collectivist culture. However, when explaining the cultural differences between northern and southern China, this viewpoint does not align with the universal understanding of "relationship between cultural differences and economic development" in the field of economics. Furthermore, it does not fit China’s situation, in which the south is wealthier and develops faster than the north. Self-construal is a psychological process completed based on cultural values. The analysis of the characteristics of self-construal and social expression under collectivist culture can help to summarize the cultural value orientations of the north and south, explore the reason why there are contradictions between the rice theory and the actual situation, and provide a new perspective of explaining the extant differences in cultural values between the north and south.

The self constructed under Chinese collectivist culture mainly exists in the form of interdependent self, with the core constituent element of relationship between a person and the people around. The interdependent self has flexible and elastic boundaries between oneself and others, which expressed as facial psychology in daily social intercourse. When in a mixed relation, as people are often more sensitive to the gains and losses of the face of both parties in the interaction, they are more likely to be trapped in 'relationship fetters', thus the development of market contracts and healthy operation of social and economic order could be affected. In addition, due to its location at the forefront of reform and opening up, southerners exhibit more pronounced modern personality traits than northerners, namely a greater tendency towards individualism. Based on this, it can be inferred that the reasons why the contradiction between rice theory and reality exists are as follows: its construction and understanding of collectivist culture is different from actual situation in China, and it has not sufficiently explored the huge and rapidly changing factors of self-construal.

Time-space transition provides a new perspective to explain the differences in cultural value between the north and south. The reform and opening up has led to leapfrog changes in cultural values. Based on the original collectivist culture, the South has quickly integrated more individualistic culture than the North due to its position of the forefront of reform and opening up, manifested in that being a collectivist culture as a whole, the south and north of China respectively lean towards individualism and collectivism. People in southern China have a higher proportion of independent self in their self-construal, and are relatively less concerned with relationship and the resulting gain and losses of face. Contemporaneity and adaptability are main features of "time-space transition" theory. Contemporaneity refers to the interpretation of current Chinese social psychology, which reflects people's cultural values in the process of Chinese path to modernization. Adaptability means that the change of cultural values has historical initiative, and is the result of the Chinese people's active choice and adaptation.

From the perspective of time-space transition, the collectivist culture is a dynamic concept with richer connotations, namely "developing collectivist culture". This concept contains both the excellent factors of the original collectivist culture of the Chinese nation, and some applicable factors that are organically absorbed from other cultures through social changes (mainly referring to individualistic cultural elements). With deep roots and abundant vitality, the developing collectivist culture has become a cultural driving force to promote the rapid development of China's economy, which not only breaks the "collectivism dilemma" of "weak economic growth of collectivist cultural countries", but also promotes the adjustment of Chinese new generation's self-construal in the process of adapting to social changes. The element of respecting diversity and showcasing individuality in "independent self" to some extent neutralizes the "relationship" factor of traditional "interdependent self" which could trouble people with Renqing and face. Retaining the core of interdependent self as well as incorporating the advantages of independent self, this "optimized self-construal" is a specific expression of the "free and comprehensive development of people" value in Chinese path to modernization. The developing collectivist culture and optimized self-construal can be seen as concrete practice and expression of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of our time in the specific fields of cultural motivation and self-construal. With its distinct local characteristics, the time-space transition theory reflects the Chinese wisdom of "open-minded and inclusive" and "adhering to principles and pursuing innovation". It also provides positive inspiration for the localization of social psychology.