Up until the 18th century, China was the world’s hegemon. So how did it get there in the first place? And why did the Empire collapse abruptly in the 20th century? Today, Yuhua Wang will talk to us about his most recent book, where he argues the Chinese state experienced a gradual decline in its state capacity caused by a sovereign’s dilemma, where cohesive elites strengthened the state but also weakened the position of the emperor.