A Critical Discourse Study of the Chinese Dream: Context, Discursive Construction and Media Representation

Zhang’s book focuses on the analysis of the sociohistorical context, linguistic patterns of discursive construction, and media representations of the “Chinese Dream” in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the United States.

Analyzing data from the Chinese leader’s speeches and articles from China Daily, the South China Morning Post, and the New York Times, the author provides insights into the understanding of contemporary Chinese society through a critical discourse analysis of the “Chinese Dream” and its mediatized construction. Focusing on the discursive construction, the book examines the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s narratives on the “Chinese Dream” from multidimensional perspectives, such as thematic representations, discursive strategies, and narrative frames, which emphasize the overall structure of the “Chinese Dream” as a political discourse. Methodologically, Zhang combines a discourse-historical approach, corpus linguistics, and framing analysis into a complementary framework, which draws merits from the three approaches.

This innovative research volume will be of interest to academics, researchers, and students in the fields of discourse analysis, political research, Chinese politics, and East Asian studies.

Junchen Zhang is a PhD researcher at the University of Sydney, Australia.