Discursive Construction Of Gansu Image In English Mainstream Media In China

In recent years,the discursive construction of national image has become a hot research topic in many fields.As a critical part of national image,regional or provincial image has attracted the attention of some scholars from different research fields.The image of Gansu,which is often considered as an underdeveloped province,has also been investigated,focusing on the theoretical discussion(Wang,2013,2014,2015,2016)and the empirical research(Wang & Li,2013;Ren & Wei,2017;Wang & Ren,2020).However,few of them probe into the construction of Gansu image based on the data from English media in China.Therefore,the present study will examine the construction of Gansu image in terms of the theme,mode and inclination of discourse based on the data of news reports from the English mainstream media in China,including China Daily,People's Daily Online and XINHUA NET.In order to achieve the goals,several theories or approaches are integrated into the analytical framework of this study,including the Appraisal Theory proposed by Martin and White(2005),a discourse-pragmatic framework proposed by Ren and Wei(2017)and five dimensions of Gansu image examined by Wang and Li(2013).Two research questions will be addressed in this study:1.What kinds of Gansu image are constructed in the news reports of English mainstream media in China?2.What strategies are adopted to construct Gansu image in the news reports of English mainstream media in China?A detailed analysis of the data yields the following results:Firstly,the news reports on Gansu Province present diverse themes,including culture,economy,eco-environment,politics,and people's livelihood as indicated in Wang and Li's(2013)study.The construction of Gansu image is closely related to these themes.These five dimensions of Gansu image are made salient in the news reports in three English media in China.Secondly,both the positive and negative images of Gansu are constructed in the news reports in three English media in China.According to the discourse inclination,the positive image of Gansu is more salient than the negative one in the reports on culture,economy and eco-environment.Cultural reports construct the image of Gansu with a profound history and culture,rich historical sites and cultural heritage,and a good reputation in the world.Great efforts in developing economy construct the image of Gansu's striving to promote the growth of economy.The positive image of Gansu's actively protecting environment and improving living conditions is constructed in the news reports.However,both the positive and negative images of Gansu are made salient in the news reports on politics and people's livelihood.Finally,both the mono-modal and multi-modal discourses contribute to the construction of Gansu image in the news reports in three English media in China.The multi-modal discourse of texts and pictures is more salient than the mono-modal discourse of texts in the news reports on culture and eco-environment.However,both mono-modal and multi-modal discourses are used as important ways in the news reports on economy and people's livelihood.The mono-modal discourse of texts is the main way in the reports on politics.The findings of the study suggest the theoretical,methodological and practical implications on the construction of regional image.First,this study employs discourse analysis and the corpus linguistics method to discuss the image construction of Gansu,thus enriching the approaches to the construction of regional image.Second,this study is helpful for the further research on the image construction of underdeveloped regions in the global context.Third,this study may have some practical implications on the development of Gansu.For example,it is essential for Gansu to explore the unique resources like cultural resources and tourism resources,which are found to make a great contribution to the construction of positive image of Gansu.