This week on Sinica, co-host Tianyu Fang makes his debut on the show to join me in interviewing his Stanford classmate and talented writer Jasmine Sun, who studies the anthropology of disruption. This summer, she took a trip to China with a group of friends with different levels of China experience, from people raised in the country to total novices. She reflects on how it hit, and how a group of young people reckoned with the reality of Chinese hypermodernity, which she wrote about in a terrific essay titled "america against china against america: notes on shenzhen, shanghai, and more."

06:10 – Getting to know the new co-host: Tianyu Fang

07:17 – Meet the guest: Jasmine Sun

08:47 – Is there really an “American Vibe Shift” in how people see China?

13:56 – The stories nations tell: America vs. China

18:26 – Why that title for the essay?

21:05 – Surveillance, awe, and future shock: China vs. San Francisco

28:19 – Chinese tech’s power to surprise (and scare) + U.S.–China perceptions

34:34 – China vs. Silicon Valley: patriotism and motivation

39:51 – The involution phenomenon: China vs. U.S.

45:41 – China’s public services and the U.S. gap

52:33 – What U.S. cities could learn from China

56:13 – Guests’ tips for understanding China

Recommendations:

Jasmine: Yunnan food

Tianyu: Mad Men (Tv series)

Kaiser: The Origins of Political Order and Political Decay by Francis Fukuyama

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