China’s homegrown passenger jet, the COMAC C919, was supposed to be a national triumph—a gleaming symbol of independence from Boeing and Airbus. But as the world looks on, one thing is becoming clear: this aircraft might just be the aviation equivalent of tofu dreg architecture. It looks smooth on the outside, sounds patriotic in the press release, and gives passengers a front-row seat to a grand experiment in airborne state-sponsored optimism...