Once the world's most technologically advanced civilisation, China is poised to yet again take this mantle, but what will it mean for Chinese society and what ramifications might it have for the future? This book offers an account of the increasing use of technology and technological solutions in Chinese society and the challenges presented by the rise of technology and its pervasive nature in all facets of everyday life, from health and politics to ethics and education. Drawing on conceptual tools from the theory of technology and anthropology, it explores current debates surrounding technology as a liberating tool for human flourishing or as a malevolent force for social atrophy. A study of rapidly changing urban life in China spanning over thirty years, it addresses questions surrounding communication technology and state control, civil rights and freedom of speech, asking what the future may hold for China.