Book Circle Discussion Recap: April 18, 2026
- 3 days ago
- 1 min read
On April 18, the US-China Catholic Association Book Circle discussed chapters 4–5 (pages 95–170) of Dan Wang's book, Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future.
Participants discussed the history and aftermath of China's one-child policy, the "zero COVID" approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ways in which these policies may have been informed by an 'engineering' mindset.
Sharing Wang's concern about the reach of technical control which can be exerted by society's engineers, participants also discussed cultural and ideological counterpoints which might prevent the potential excesses of such a technical mindset. Catholic Social Teaching, Daoism, and aspects of Confucian thought were examined as possible checks and balances against human tendencies to over-reliance on social engineering.
Our last Book Circle discussion of the Spring 2026 semester is scheduled for May 15; we will be finishing Dan Wang's Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future. In the Fall semester, the Book Circle will resume with a new book: Yanfei Sun's Religious Change in Post-Mao China: Toward a New Sociology of Religion.
If you know anyone who might be interested in our Book Circle discussions, please invite them to sign up for Book Circle email updates today! For in-person opportunities to learn about theology, history, and the life of the Church in China, we invite you to register for our upcoming 30th International Conference.
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