Authoritarian regimes often have grand designs to control and remake the societies they govern. This talk examines several remarkable, far-reaching efforts undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party to reshape Chinese society: state-led development projects that have displaced millions; the One Child Policy, which has profoundly altered family life; and large-scale efforts to limit political protest. How do authoritarian regimes realize these far-reaching plans to control and modernize society? When do people obey? When do they resist? I argue that in order to implement these far-reaching schemes, the Chinese state relies on seemingly autonomous grassroots organizations that help the state infiltrate civil society, co-opt its leaders, and nip resistance in the bud. Daniel Mattingly is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale University. His work examines the political economy of development and authoritarian politics with a focus on China.