The Image And It’s Evolution Of Chengdu City In US And UK Mainstream Newspapers (1980-2022)

With the acceleration of urbanisation,the image of the city has become one of the key elements reflecting the core competitiveness of the city and is of great significance to the construction and development of the city.Chengdu,the capital of Sichuan Province,is the backbone of China in the process of opening up to the outside world,a central city in the western region and a major growth economy pole.The development of Chengdu is of strategic importance to China.Learning about the coverage of Chengdu by the mainstream media in the UK and the US,where international discourse is strong,will help to identify the positioning of Chengdu in the international public opinion environment and find out targeted measures to improve the city’s image.In this paper,468 pieces of news related to Chengdu in The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal,The Times and the BBC from 1980 to 2022 were used as samples.Firstly,the samples were classified,summarised and counted by using content analysis to capture the overall coverage,and divided into four periods.Secondly,based on textual analysis,the frames used in the mainstream media in the UK and the US at different periods were extracted and the way in which the image of Chengdu was presented and changed in the mainstream media in the UK and the US was clarified.Afterwards,the paper summarised the presentation and evolution of Chengdu’s image at different periods according to the press framework,analysed the characteristics and the causes of its image change from the perspective of field theory.Finally,the study compared the differences between the official image of Chengdu and the image presented by the British and American mainstream media and then proposed suggestions for optimising the official image of the city.The study found that the mainstream media in the UK and the US has different concerns while presenting the image of Chengdu in each of the four phases.During the start period of Chengdu’s rapid development(1980-1992),Chengdu was reported as "a pilot of economic reform" "a bridge to Tibet" "a city lacking in social stability" and "a good place to watch pandas".During the initial period of Chengdu’s rapid development(1993-2000),the city showed "Stable economic development" and the distinctive characteristics of its local culture were reflected.During the period of accelerated development(2001-2012),Chengdu was "a manufacturer for multinational companies" "a lurking area of ethnic minority unrest" "a city of contradictory development" "a city in cultural transition" " a giant panda reserve " and " a ’tent’ city with a wealthy gap" in the context of mega-disasters.Entering a new urbanisation period(2013-2022),Chengdu became "a city with an industrial transformation" "a diplomatic outpost between China and the United States" "a city where the conflict between the government and the people is accentuated" "multicultural space" and "environmental pollution prevention zone".After sorting out the characteristics of the presentation and change of Chengdu’s city image,The study found that Chengdu’s city image had three characteristics in British and American mainstream media reports: low visibility,neutral and negative valence,the coexistence of continuity and non-continuity of image change and positive and negative reports focusing on the portrayal of specific city images.According to the analysis of the causes of image change,the paper found that although the cities are in the process of rapid change,the economic synergy model in the context of globalisation,the political pattern of ideological confrontation,the disparate impact on global cultural pattern between the western area and the east and attitude of journalists towards the city of Chengdu are important factors influencing the change of city image.Based on the findings of the study,five measures are proposed to optimising the image of Chengdu,namely,broadening the range of communication subjects,showing good relationship between the Han Chinese and Tibetan,focusing on the residents’ welfare of the city,showing the spirit of the city’s history and culture to the outside world,combining regular communication with major events and maintaining a good relationship with foreign media.