Breakneck : China's quest to engineer the future /
Wang, Dan (Writer on China)
Breakneck : China's quest to engineer the future / China's quest to engineer the future Dan Wang. - First edition. - xv, 260 pages 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-260).
Introduction -- Engineers vs. lawyers -- Building big -- Tech power -- One child -- Zero-Covid -- Fortress China -- Learning to love engineers.
"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 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 through 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 provocative 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. In an era of animosity and mistrust, Wang unmasks the shocking similarities between the United States and China. Breakneck reveals how each country points toward a better path for the other: Chinese citizens would be better off if their government could learn to value individual liberties, while Americans would be better off if their government could learn to embrace engineering -- and to produce better outcomes for the many, not just the few." -- Provided by publisher.
9781324106036
2025410877
Technological innovations--China
Engineering and state--China
Economic forecasting--China
Innovations--Chine
Ingénierie--Politique gouvernementale--Chine
Prévision économique--Chine
POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Asian
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Economy
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism
China--Economic conditions--2000-
China--Economic conditions
China--Social policy
China--Civilization
China--Foreign relations--United States
United States--Foreign relations--China
Chine--Conditions économiques--2000-
Chine--Conditions économiques
Chine--Civilisation
Chine--Relations extérieures--États-Unis
États-Unis--Relations extérieures--Chine
E183.8.C5 / W3415 2025
327.51 WAN
Breakneck : China's quest to engineer the future / China's quest to engineer the future Dan Wang. - First edition. - xv, 260 pages 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-260).
Introduction -- Engineers vs. lawyers -- Building big -- Tech power -- One child -- Zero-Covid -- Fortress China -- Learning to love engineers.
"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 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 through 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 provocative 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. In an era of animosity and mistrust, Wang unmasks the shocking similarities between the United States and China. Breakneck reveals how each country points toward a better path for the other: Chinese citizens would be better off if their government could learn to value individual liberties, while Americans would be better off if their government could learn to embrace engineering -- and to produce better outcomes for the many, not just the few." -- Provided by publisher.
9781324106036
2025410877
Technological innovations--China
Engineering and state--China
Economic forecasting--China
Innovations--Chine
Ingénierie--Politique gouvernementale--Chine
Prévision économique--Chine
POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Asian
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Economy
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism
China--Economic conditions--2000-
China--Economic conditions
China--Social policy
China--Civilization
China--Foreign relations--United States
United States--Foreign relations--China
Chine--Conditions économiques--2000-
Chine--Conditions économiques
Chine--Civilisation
Chine--Relations extérieures--États-Unis
États-Unis--Relations extérieures--Chine
E183.8.C5 / W3415 2025
327.51 WAN