New ideas often sprout at society's margins. Street performers are a colourful example. More typical perhaps are small-business owners or renegade scientists. Small businesses in many Asian countries have a tough time because governments or big companies, often acting together, distrust the market and strangle innovation in the name of stability. Similarly, renegade scientists and engineers need the freedom to dream.
Silicon Valley shows what happens when they do.
What distinguishes these marginal individuals on the fringes of the economy is that money isn't everything to them. The restaurant owner who loves food, the engineer who loves gadgets, the stilt-walker who loves to perform, aren't primarily motivated by immediate economic rewards. Most Asian societies have a low tolerance for dissent. Usually seen as a political or cultural issue, this fear of weirdos, trouble-makers and people who don't fit in is also a serious economic issue. This isn't about Asian values versus Western values.