In a large bowl, whisk soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, white pepper, five-spice powder, salt, garlic, and egg white to combine; set aside.

Place one pork chop on a clean cutting board and, using the ridged side of a meat mallet or blunt side of a Chinese cleaver, pound pork chops gently to ½-inch thickness. Set aside and repeat with remaining pork chops.

Add pork chops to the soy sauce mixture, massaging and tossing the pork to evenly coat with marinade. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

When ready to cook, set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line rack with a double layer of paper towels; set aside. Heat oil in a wok or medium-size Dutch oven over medium-high heat until oil reaches 350˚F (175˚C) on an instant-read or fryer thermometer.

In a wide, shallow dish, add sweet potato starch. Working with 1 pork chop at a time, dredge both sides in sweet potato starch, pressing gently to adhere. Gently shake off excess sweet potato starch and transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining chops.

Using tongs, add 2 pork chops to hot oil, gently sliding them in as close to the oil’s surface as possible to minimize splashing. Cook until pork is light golden brown, about 2 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain an oil temperature of 350°F (175°C). Using tongs, transfer pork to prepared baking sheet. Using a skimmer or ladle, remove any leftover crumbs from oil. Repeat with the remaining pork chops.

In a medium pot, combine water, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, tangerine or mandarin peel (if using), and Sichuan peppercorns (if using). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and allow liquid to slow to a gentle simmer. Using tongs, carefully add 2 deep-fried pork chops, handling gently to ensure breading does not fall off. Cover and simmer until the pork chop is fully cooked and registers 145˚F (63˚C) on an instant thermometer, 4 to 8 minutes. Gently remove chop and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pork chops. Serve with cooked white rice.