# Building and Breaking in China China's economic growth and rising challenges - **Source:** [Planet Money](https://brifing.si/source/b016594b-a3bc-497e-ad10-5c411ca3cd9e) - **Published:** 2026-07-15 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/0baa9fe0-1a63-49e1-a245-babeae797c2d ## China's Growth Story China has experienced unprecedented economic growth over the past 50 years, becoming the world's factory through a mix of central government planning and personal ambition. ## Engineering State China's leaders believe they can engineer solutions to economic problems. This 'engineering state' approach fueled rapid development but also brought new challenges. ## Overbuilding Crisis China's rapid growth led to overbuilding, resulting in empty apartments, unused infrastructure projects, and malinvestment, threatening the country's economic future. ## The Boom Era of the 2000s In the 2000s, China experienced a massive boom with the transition to a market economy. Many amassed fortunes, particularly in the real estate sector. ## Youth Unemployment Youth unemployment is rising in China, with many young people struggling to find white-collar jobs, casting doubt on the country's future prosperity. ## The Despair of Success China's economic success has brought new challenges, including overbuilding, youth unemployment, and malinvestment, threatening its future stability. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5889516/summer-school-china-engineering-state-china-central-planning — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._