China’s Quest to Engineer the Future: A Conversation with Dan Wang

In this crossover episode of Peckingology and ChinaPower, Henrietta Levin and Brian Hart interview Dan Wang, author of "Breakneck," about China's approach to technology and governance. Wang argues that China is fundamentally an engineering state, excelling in infrastructure and industrial technology through process knowledge and monumental projects, but sometimes struggling with social engineering and individual liberties. The conversation explores the strengths and weaknesses of China's model, its focus on self-sufficiency, and the role of ideology in the Chinese Communist Party, contrasting it with the U.S.'s lawyerly society and its own set of challenges. The discussion also touches on the impact of policies like zero-COVID and the one-child policy on Chinese society, as well as the balance between state control and entrepreneurial innovation.