Construction Of China's National Image And Spread In The Use Of Cultural Symbols

In terms of constructivism, the basis of the international system is the social structure, but not an absolute material structure. Social structure, the distribution of conceptions or cultures within the international system, determines the actor, namely the state actor, whose implication and acknowledgement, and determines its status, nterests, s well as the mode of its economic, political and cultural activities. Due to the theories of constructivism, a state image and status refers to the discourse constructing in a large proportion, and they are the results of the game between the native and foreign discourses. Actually, in the international community, a rich state with enlightened citizens is unnecessary in forming a good state image; even there has not been change in the objective conditions nor the social system, its state image may have shifted. The image of a state does not depend on whether its own condition is good or not, nor whether it endeavors or not. A state image is a mutual acknowledgement in status, based on the massive interaction among nations.Cultural symbols, serving as important..carriers of discourse constructing, has direct influence on the constructing of a state’s image in the process of external communication. Whereas, it’s not uncommon to see misinterpretation in the transmission of China’s cultural symbols overseas, which brings much negative impact on China’s image. The very thesis possesses a perspective of constructivism, displays the analysis on the reasons why there is a dilemma in the formation and the acknowledgement of China’s image as the basis, explores the indispensable role of symbols (cultural symbols) in the communication, the formation of consensus, the construction of status, the shape of images, and puts forward the value orientation, principle selection, and the communication strategy for cultural symbols in the current construction of China’s state image. The very thesis believes that the transmission of China’s cultural symbols overseas should correspond with the strategic objectives of the state image-peace and development, seeking common grounds while reserving differences, being a responsible great power; and it believes that selection of cultural symbols which attach importance to nationality, universality, as well as the consistence of convention, contemporary and future, in order to get involved in the global discourse system, to overcome the substantial impediments in the cross-culture communication and the misunderstanding in the cultural communication; and it believes that the usage of integral policy would produce and supply the international community with certain common conception, would accomplish the modern reconstruction in the continuous innovation, and would promote the comprehension of China for the international community as well as the acknowledgement in the China’s image of peace and development, seeking common grounds while reserving differences, being a responsible great power. In the last part, the very thesis takes a specific part of Chinese culture:the culture of Black and White, which is embodied in China’s calligraphy and China’s painting as an example of cultural symbols, and analyzes the function of cultural symbols in constructing China’s image as a state of peace and development, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and being a responsible great power.