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Breakneck – why China’s engineers beat America’s lawyers
Dan Wang’s compelling and provocative book explores both the merits and the madness of China’s engineering state.
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Engineers follow their robots as they compete during the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Aug 15.
PHOTO: AFP
John Thornhill
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In April 2022, during China’s belated Covid-19 lockdown, airborne drones buzzed around Shanghai repeatedly blasting commands to hungry residents huddling in their apartments. “Repress your soul’s yearning for freedom,” a woman’s voice ordered. “Do not open your windows to sing, which can spread the virus.”
Such a scene may seem like something out of a dystopian science-fiction movie, but Shanghai’s 25 million residents had already grown used to drones barking at them to mask up or return home. Little escape was to be had online either as ever-attentive censors quickly expunged all posts and videos from anti-lockdown protesters, who provocatively cited the first line of China’s national anthem: “Arise, you who refuse to be slaves.”
