Counterfeit Paradise
This refers to a natural environment that seems idyllic, but which prevents the growth of complex societies over time. It was original used to describe the Amazon in South America.
The phrase comes from a 1971 book: Amazonia: Man and Culture in a Counterfeit Paradise.
Betty Meggers argued that the Amazon’s luxurious vegetation concealed significant limitations for human exploitation, placing a ceiling on pre-Columbian population density and social complexity.
Chinese writer Chan Koonchung has said this about the political system of China:
Given the choice between a good hell and a counterfeit paradise, what will people choose? Whatever you say, many people will believe that a counterfeit paradise has got to be better than a good hell. Though at first they recognize that the paradise is bogus, they either don’t dare or wish to expose it as such. As time passes, they forget that it’s not real and actually begin to defend it, insisting that it’s the only paradise in existence.
Colloquially, the phrase could refer to anything which seems good, but ultimately imposes limitations.
Why I Looked It Up
It came up in The Lost City of Z. That book was about the exploration of the Amazon, so it referred to the original usage of the term. I was listening to it on audio, so I couldn’t note the reference.