New Books in East Asian Studies Dan Wang, "Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future" (Norton, 2025)
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Aug 26, 2025 
Dan Wang, a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover History Lab, shares insights from his debut book, Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future. He contrasts China’s engineering-driven society with the U.S.'s lawyerly framework, discussing how these models affect governance and infrastructure. Delving into lesser-known Chinese cities, he highlights their complex political dynamics. Additionally, Dan addresses the impact of censorship on East Asian cinema, illustrating evolving narratives and the changing landscape of storytelling amidst governmental influences.
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Engineering State vs Lawyerly Society
- Dan Wang frames China as an "engineering state" and the U.S. as a "lawyerly society" to highlight different national problem-solving styles.
- The engineering state builds fast, visible infrastructure while the lawyerly society prioritizes rule-based checks that often block large projects.
Visible Gains From Engineering Governance
- Engineering governance produces highly functional infrastructure and rapid urban conveniences, like Shanghai's dense subway access and parks growth.
- That engineering efficiency yields visible public goods but comes from top-down megaproject thinking.
When Engineering Turns Social
- The same engineering impulse can become social engineering with blunt, high-impact policies such as the one-child policy and zero COVID.
- These policies show how fast technical fixes can produce severe social costs.
