Breakneck: Inside China’s Engineering State and What It Means for America

One of The New Yorker‘s Best Books of the Year So Far •
One of NPR’s Books We Love of 2025 •
A Financial Times Best Book of the Year •
An August 2025 Next Big Idea Club Must-Read Book

A riveting, firsthand investigation of China’s seismic progress, its human costs,
and what it means for America.

For nearly a decade, technology analyst Dan Wang, described by Ross Douthat as
a gifted observer of contemporary China, has lived through the country’s
astonishing and often chaotic transformation. Towering bridges, gleaming railways,
and sprawling factories have reshaped China’s economy at record speed. These
achievements have delivered real gains, but they have also come with deep social
consequences.

Rapid development has rippled pain across society. Political repression has intensified,
communities have been uprooted, and personal freedoms have narrowed. In Breakneck,
Wang argues that this combination of astonishing growth and political control is not a
contradiction. It is a defining feature of China’s engineering mindset.

China as an Engineering State

In Breakneck, Wang blends political analysis, economic insight, philosophical
reflection, and on-the-ground reporting to offer a bold framework for understanding
modern China. He describes the country as an engineering state, relentlessly focused
on building megaprojects and solving problems at scale.

By contrast, the United States has slowed. Wang suggests that America has evolved into
a lawyerly society, one that defaults to regulation, litigation, and procedural barriers.
Too often, this reflexive blocking prevents both harmful and beneficial projects from
moving forward.

A Nation in Motion

Through immersive storytelling, Breakneck takes readers into cities such as
Shanghai, Chongqing, and Shenzhen. In these metropolises, China’s engineering-first
approach has produced not only dazzling infrastructure but also a widespread sense
of momentum and optimism.

At the same time, the book does not shy away from the darker consequences of social
engineering. Wang examines the surveillance of ethnic minorities, the suppression of
political dissent, and the long-lasting traumas caused by the one-child policy and
zero-Covid restrictions.

What China and America Reveal About Each Other

In an era defined by mistrust and rivalry, Breakneck exposes unexpected
similarities between China and the United States. Each country, Wang argues, holds
lessons for the other.

Chinese citizens would be better served if their government placed greater value on
individual liberty. Americans, meanwhile, would benefit from a renewed commitment
to engineering, building, and delivering tangible results for the many rather than the few.

Clear-eyed, provocative, and deeply reported, Breakneck is essential reading
for anyone seeking to understand China’s rise, America’s stagnation, and the difficult
choices facing both nations in the years ahead.