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Looking forward to seeing for a fantastic book club session
on
BREAKNECK
CHINA’S QUEST TO ENGINEER THE FUTURE
by
DAN WANG
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 5PM (pacific)
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Book Now
So you have plenty of time to read it before Aug. 5!
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
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 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.
FACILITATOR Joann Pittman is the Vice-President for Partnerships and China Engagement at ChinaSource. Before joining ChinaSource she spent more than 20 years in China as a teacher, student, and intercultural trainer. She has taught courses in Chinese history, culture, and language at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (MN), Taylor University (IN), and Wheaton College (IL).
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FUTURE BOOK CLUB DISCUSSIONS
TBD
PAST BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS 2025
May 7: At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning with China, by Edward Wong
August 6: A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, by Rodney Stark
November 5: From Banned Book to Best Seller: Bible Mission in Contemporary China, by Cynthia Oh
Come alongside ERRChina/CAC friends and scholars as you engage with works that reflect on past and present Chinese worldviews. You will gain a greater understanding of China and the church, past and present, and its meaning and impact in our current world situation. Together, we’ll make the most of a time of uncertainty, waiting, and strained isolation and spend it in patience, hope, and exploration.
The Feb. 1 meeting on Lian Xi’s BLOOD LETTERS proved a wonderful discussion of Lin Zhao’s complicated life and Christian response to Mao’s China.