Jasmine Sun on Silicon Valley through a Chinese Mirror

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 Fang07:17 – Meet the guest: Jasmine Sun08:47 – Is there really an “American Vibe Shift” in how people see China?13:56 – The stories nations tell: America vs. China18:26 – Why that title for the essay?21:05 – Surveillance, awe, and future shock: China vs. San Francisco28:19 – Chinese tech’s power to surprise (and scare) + U.S.–China perceptions34:34 – China vs. Silicon Valley: patriotism and motivation39:51 – The involution phenomenon: China vs. U.S.45:41 – China’s public services and the U.S. gap52:33 – What U.S. cities could learn from China56:13 – Guests’ tips for understanding ChinaRecommendations:Jasmine: Yunnan foodTianyu: Mad Men (Tv series)Kaiser: The Origins of Political Order and Political Decay by Francis FukuyamaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.