BREAKNECK by Dan Wang (Audiobook)(Nonfiction)

BREAKNECK by Dan Wang (Audiobook)(Nonfiction)
Author: Dan Wang
Narrator: Kevin Shen
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
Genre: Nonfiction, Economics, China Studies, Political Science

Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang is a riveting firsthand account of China's rapid progress and its rivalry with the West, arguing that China functions as an "engineering state" focused on building megaprojects, while America has become a "lawyerly society" that stalls change through litigation. Released in 2025, the book draws on Wang's six years living in China to explore economic ascent, social engineering pitfalls, and lessons for global geopolitics, blending analysis with reportage.

Wang, a technology analyst, recounts his experiences from 2017 to 2023, including a bike ride through China's fourth-poorest province revealing superior infrastructure compared to wealthier U.S. regions. He contrasts China's relentless building of bridges, factories, and cities with America's legalistic vetocracy that blocks progress. The narrative critiques Beijing's social engineering failures, like zero-Covid lockdowns, while examining the U.S.-China tech showdown and trade war. Wang proposes that each nation could learn from the other—China gaining individual liberties, America embracing bold ambition—to improve global outcomes, offering a fresh framework beyond outdated ideologies.