The 180 was due to the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping. the lingering collectivist thinking was not "purged" or dealt with, it was an overlap that started happening in the late 70's when Deng's economic reforms started to take over in china with a planned market similar to a capitalist model but being run in the communist format.
So, the social reforms have not yet caught up with the economic reforms. The Chinese will have their summer of love yet!
woo hoo! we need about 100 million pothead naked dancing Chinese hippies to send flowers to Beijing! then and only then will the transition be made to individualism in China as something that is treasured.