It might be because their concept of aesthetics is quite different than of the west. What is beautiful in Europe is not always considered beautiful in Asia. Also, at least in Japan, there is an idea that it is more important to capture the 'essence' of a thing rather than its specific features. I've seen a lot of my Japanese friends who are inexperienced attempt to draw and fair much better than I do, and in comparison their attempts are a lot more simplistic, focusing on warped or unrealistic characteristics that tend to have a much more successful representation of the thing they are trying to draw.
As an exercise, one might try to close their eyes and imagine what something should look like, not what it does look like. Connecting the 'sense' or 'feeling' of something with the imagination may lead an artist to better results.
