The statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the...Show moreThe statement “a picture tells a thousand words” is pretty often used.I want to find out if there is real value in this statement. In this thesis I will discuss the representations of images of the SARS and COVID-19 virus in People’s Republic of China (PRC). Images help us learn, images grab attention and they are helping to explain tough concept. That is why I think it is interesting to take a look at the representations of images of SARS and COVID-19. In this context I speak about images that are directly related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or are at least have been approved by it. In my research I will focus on two time periodes. 2002-2003, the time of the SARS virus outbreak and 2020, the year of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19. I will analyze images from both time periodes to investigate if the images show similarities in representing the virus or have changed over time and I will try to analyze why this is the case.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating this discourse. This research also touches on the underlying messages and values of this propaganda, and how it communicates and constructs specific representations about the environment and environmental protection.Show less
Political leaders have for some time been aware of the importance of national image. In China, following the reform and opening up of the 1970s and ‘80s, leaders have progressively become aware of...Show morePolitical leaders have for some time been aware of the importance of national image. In China, following the reform and opening up of the 1970s and ‘80s, leaders have progressively become aware of this, and aware of the negative national image that China has internationally. This thesis focuses on just one small part of a larger project to improve China’s approval rating abroad: a book of Xi Jinping’s speeches, compiled and translated into English: titled The Governance of China. This thesis investigates how the CCP may be using this English-language publication to attempt to influence the national image of China, in the eyes of the international public.Show less
The 2008 uprisings in Tibet have had a profound impact on Sino-Tibetan relations. This thesis looks at the Han-Chinese point of view on these uprisings as seen in a series of documentaries...Show moreThe 2008 uprisings in Tibet have had a profound impact on Sino-Tibetan relations. This thesis looks at the Han-Chinese point of view on these uprisings as seen in a series of documentaries broadcasted by CCTV. The thesis shows how the use of documentary film steers public opinion and how the documentaries fit into a broader hegemonic discourse.Show less
For a long time, common belief among researchers on women in China has been that starting already before the Cultural Revolution, women were mobilized to work according to the needs of the Party,...Show moreFor a long time, common belief among researchers on women in China has been that starting already before the Cultural Revolution, women were mobilized to work according to the needs of the Party, and that gender erasure took place during the Cultural Revolution. Within this research, six propaganda posters were examined, along the lines of the importance of models for the CCP. The posters were meant to paint a positive picture on whatever the Party needed from the people, in order to mobilize them. The Party encouraged women to start working in labor fields traditionally occupied by men, because of labor forces, and propagated this as a means of achieving gender equality, while actually the opposite was achieved. The Party uses gender equality as a means to get people to do as it wanted, and this came to its climax during the Cultural Revolution, however the Party never made gender equality a real priority. Even though gender equality was never really established, propaganda posters did give women the believe that equality is a possibility.Show less
This thesis explores how Chinese newspapers report on Singles Day, a holiday celebrated on November 11. The thesis covers the origins of Singles Day and how it has evolved from an Anti-Valentine’s...Show moreThis thesis explores how Chinese newspapers report on Singles Day, a holiday celebrated on November 11. The thesis covers the origins of Singles Day and how it has evolved from an Anti-Valentine’s Day to a Global Shopping Festival. This development, amongst others, is represented by the term “Double 11”, which has become Alibaba’s precious trademark to promote this holiday. Furthermore, a chapter illustrates how top-down and bottom-up forces constitute China’s media landscape, and also explains what methodologies have been used for the study. The main body consists of an analysis and discussion of six newspaper articles in Chinese. By analyzing articles by the People’s Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the Beijing News, a mainstream newspaper, the thesis compares and contrasts what discourses emerge in two newspapers in Beijing and how these newspapers differ in style and content. A qualitative discourse analysis has resulted in the main finding that the People’s Daily mainly provides positive, informative reports on how the holiday is progressing, while the Beijing News creates vivid and sensational narratives that constructively criticize the success story of Singles Day.Show less
The rise of populism in Europe poses a challenge to the Chinese government. As a force against globalisation and its effects it deserves rejection, but how to portray the ineffectiveness of...Show moreThe rise of populism in Europe poses a challenge to the Chinese government. As a force against globalisation and its effects it deserves rejection, but how to portray the ineffectiveness of European political elites in handling populism without offending European partners. This thesis argues that through Chinese government-supported media a two-sided approach can be laid bare. More internationally-oriented media are much more cautious in reporting on European leaders than media for domestic consumption.Show less
This thesis looks at the air pollution in Shanghai and how Urban Public Green Spaces (UPGS's) can help to prevent it. It gives a brief history of air pollution and describes its consequences. In...Show moreThis thesis looks at the air pollution in Shanghai and how Urban Public Green Spaces (UPGS's) can help to prevent it. It gives a brief history of air pollution and describes its consequences. In this thesis both a classic UPGS and the modern Vertical Forests are described. In the final part of the thesis, a research was conducted to show that UPGS's indeed help to prevent air pollution in urban China.Show less
This thesis provides an answer to the following research question: ‘What internet governance discourse was constructed and managed by Xi Jinping during the Wuzhen Summit?’ It is found that Xi...Show moreThis thesis provides an answer to the following research question: ‘What internet governance discourse was constructed and managed by Xi Jinping during the Wuzhen Summit?’ It is found that Xi Jinping and his administration draw from various background assumptions to construct their discourse. These assumptions see the internet as a geographic territory that is subject to the same geopolitical dynamics as ‘real space’, and see governments as well as states as being the only actors capable of enabling the successful future development of the internet.Show less
This thesis examines the narrative of the Chinese Communist Party as portrayed in revolutionary sites, also known as red tourism sites. Through a comparative policy analysis of the Red Tourism...Show moreThis thesis examines the narrative of the Chinese Communist Party as portrayed in revolutionary sites, also known as red tourism sites. Through a comparative policy analysis of the Red Tourism Initiative and case study of the Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall, this thesis provides some insight on recent attempts of the Chinese government to evoke nationalism in museum space. More specifically, the Yan'an Revolutionary Hall propagates a positive image of the party's revolutionary past by using modern values such as entrepreneurship, allowing visitors to easily identify with a largely imagined past. As a consequence, museum space provides the Chinese government with legitimization in a society that has become increasingly alienated with communist values, ideals, and ideology.Show less
This thesis aims to uncover how the two main candidates in the 2016 Republic of China (Taiwan) elections have been portrayed in Mainland Chinese newspapers. Issues such as the candidates’ genders...Show moreThis thesis aims to uncover how the two main candidates in the 2016 Republic of China (Taiwan) elections have been portrayed in Mainland Chinese newspapers. Issues such as the candidates’ genders as well as their positions on cross-Strait and economic relations between Taiwan and Mainland China have been analyzed through a discourse analysis of two major newspapers based in BeijingShow less
