Overview

A riveting, firsthand investigation of China's seismic progress, its human costs, and what it means for America For close to a decade, technology analyst Dan Wang―""a gifted observer of contemporary China"" (Ross Douthat)―has been living through the country's astonishing, messy progress. China's towering bridges, gleaming railways, and sprawling factories have improved economic outcomes in record time. But rapid change has also sent ripples of pain throughout the society. This reality―political repression and astonishing growth―is not a paradox but rather a feature of China's engineering mindset. In Breakneck, Wang blends political, economic, and philosophical analysis with reportage to reveal a new framework for understanding China―one that helps us see America more clearly, too. While China is an engineering state, relentlessly pursuing megaprojects, the United States has stalled. America has transformed into a lawyerly society, reflexively blocking everything, good and bad. Blending razor-sharp analysis with immersive storytelling, Wang offers a gripping portrait of a nation in flux. Breakneck traverses metropolises like Shanghai, Chongqing, and Shenzhen, where the engineering state has created not only dazzling infrastructure but also a sense of optimism. The book also exposes the downsides of social engineering, including the surveillance of ethnic minorities, political suppression, and the traumas of the one-child policy and zero-Covid.

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9798228657281

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Reviews

""A timely meditation on technology and governance―and a rollicking read, to boot."" -- "" Eva Dou, author of House of Huawei""

""Breakneck reads as a warning. The book's title seems to refer to China's speedy growth. But it might also apply to the US; after all, it's what can happen when you slip."" -- "" Bloomberg"" ""Deftly mixes data-rich analysis with vivid personal anecdotes and punchy opinions. His book is both a fascinating exploration of China's strengths and weaknesses, as well as a searing critique of how a self-harming American leadership could lose the technological arms race to its rival."" -- ""Financial Times (London)"" ""With his trademark mix of personal observation and objective analysis, Dan Wang explains not only what is happening, but why. The result is a tour de force essential for policymakers, academics, investors, and entrepreneurs."" -- ""Rush Doshi, assistant professor of security studies at Georgetown University and C. V. Starr senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations""

Author Information

Dan Wang is a research fellow at the Hoover History Lab at Stanford University. He was previously a fellow at the Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center and the technology analyst at Gavekal Dragonomics. Dan is the author of an annual letter from China and has published essays in the New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Financial Times, New York Magazine, and the Atlantic. Jonathan Yen was inspired by the Golden Age of Radio, and while the gold was gone by the time he got there, he's carried that inspiration through to commercial work, voice acting, and stage productions. His ""versatile baritone"" and ""distinct and perceptive role-playing"" make for ""a striking marriage of performance and storytelling."" From vintage Howard Fast science fiction to naturalist Paul Rosolie's true adventures in the Amazon, Jonathan loves to tell a good story.

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