Episode 4 — China: Seventy Years of Reinventing the Social Code

From Mao’s utopian revolutions to Xi Jinping’s algorithmic governance, China’s modern history is a study in state-led transformation—ambitious, often brutal, occasionally visionary. In this episode, Jerry and Rachel trace seventy years of social engineering, from the Great Leap Forward to today’s algorithmic control systems. Along the way, they examine both repression and reform, chaos and modernization, and the rise of two technological powerhouses: Huawei and Alibaba.

This isn’t about judging who’s right. It’s about understanding difference—how a civilization with its own historical memory and political logic has chosen to shape its society. In a fragmented world, learning from each other’s successes and failures may be the only path forward.