In Chinese history, the central government was not only wary of literati with ideas and influence but also kept a close watch on those who mastered key technologies. Because regardless of whether they were scholars or technical officials, once their abilities extended beyond mere "doing things," and they began to influence, organize, and rally people, they could ultimately evolve into a force independent of power.

A recurring phenomenon in history is that the state cannot do without technology, yet it always guards against it. Building the Dujiangyan irrigation system required water conservancy experts, creating calendars needed astronomers, manufacturing firearms required craftsmen, and managing rivers needed engineering officials. However, these individuals often possessed highly specialized skills but found it difficult to enter the true core of power. The more important the technology, the stricter the constraints.
For example, Shen Kuo of the Northern Song was proficient in astronomy, mathematics, water conservancy, and military affairs. Xu Guangqi of the Ming Dynasty promoted Western science and technology into China. Both were top-tier technical talents of their respective eras. Yet, successive dynasties adhered to a fundamental principle: technology can serve power, but technology cannot become power. Professional skills could be reused, but they should not form independent organizations or influence.
Because in the eyes of rulers, the real danger was never the technology itself but the organizational capacity behind it. Someone who masters key technology, and also has resources, connections, and social influence, could potentially form a new power center. Many institutional designs in history—civil officials managing technical officials, job rotations, technological secrecy, decentralization and checks—essentially addressed the same question: how to use technology without allowing it to wield power.
Interestingly, this logic has not disappeared with the fall of dynasties. Today’s large organizations also welcome technical talents but rarely allow a single technical team to control rule-making, resource allocation, and organizational mobilization simultaneously. The times have changed, and technology has evolved, but the instinct for power has not.
Therefore, if one were to summarize this hidden rule of the past two thousand years in one sentence, it would be: power is not afraid of technology; what it truly fears is technology growing into another form of power.