China is a study in extremes. It's the world's oldest continuous civilization, yet also, as Dan Wang writes, a country that "combines lengthy periods of stasis with episodes of extreme movement." In 1970, when China's GDP per capita was about $1,400 in today's dollars, Francis Crick predicted that "it would not be surprising if eventually China became a major scientific power." Half a century later, China has transformed even more drastically than Crick imagined.
Reading about China is one thing; seeing it in person is another entirely. Even the most insightful articles are a poor substitute for walking the transformed trading ports of Shanghai, the one-time fishing village of Shenzhen, or the ancient capital of Beijing, all of which would be unrecognizable to a visitor from 1970. So visit China if you can. Reading won't substitute for such a trip, but it can help sharpen your perspective ahead of time.
About a dozen scientists, mostly from the Bay Area, recently traveled from Beijing to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and down into Hong Kong. Beforehand, we swapped articles and books, slowly building a "Reading Guide to China." The initial list included more than 100 articles — heavily Silicon Valley-esque in its viewpoint — which we pared down to just 51. We included only books and articles we've actually read, and have prioritized pieces that (we think) are likely to have a longer shelf-life.
This guide is for people working in biotechnology, though there are links about AI in China, as well as many books and podcasts about the country's history and geopolitics. The "Sources" section, at the end of this list, features many writers who are not widely known in the west. We recommend following them online if you want to get regular updates on scientific progress in China.