Mass Media And The Peasants' Discourse Right

China is a major agricultural country, with the peasants accounting for over 70% of the whole population. Nevertheless, being the most populous group, the peasants can hardly have their voice heard by the mainstream society.Thanks to the general adoption of the market principle, which began from the 1990's, the mass media, serving as "discourse creator", witnesses phenomenal development of itself. However, the peasants' discourse gains nearly no more space during this development. Quite on the contrary, it has been consistently marginalized. The peasants' voice becomes feebler and feebler, even overwhelmed by the better-positioned urban discourse. Some discourse created by the mass media even describes the peasants in an arrogant and prejudicial way, distorting their image, leading the whole society to a negative stereotype of the peasants.Being relatively weak in economy, politics, and culture, the peasants are now being reduced to the biggest disadvantaged group in China. Their miserable situation is also manifested in communication field. They're in a less favorable position in both discourses creating and disseminating. This populous group is facing a grim challenge of "collective aphasia", which should by all means get people's attention and vigilance. In such a country where peasants still account for a major part of the whole population, the destiny of the peasants is closely linked with that of the whole nation. The vulnerable position and "aphasia" of the peasants have become a problem that China cannot shun upon on its way of further economic and social development. How to help the peasants out of "aphasia" and gain the discourse right has apparently become a compelling obligation for the mass media.