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    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
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    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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HOME > Archives > 2025 > Volume 11 Number 6 (2025) >
IJLLL 2025 Vol.11(6): 290-294
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2025.11.6.617

Constructing Cultural Identity in Chinese Media: A Critical Discourse Study of China Daily’s Aerospace Reporting

Ruxi Wang and Yi Zhang*
School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China
Email: wangrx15@mail.nwpu.edu.cn (R.X.W.); yizhang@nwpu.edu.cn (Y.Z.)
*Corresponding author

Manuscript received July 26, 2025; accepted September 4, 2025; published December 25, 2025.

Abstract—This study investigates how China Daily constructs cultural identity through its reporting on aerospace technology. Through the Discourse-Historical Approach, the research analyzes a corpus of news articles published between 2022 and 2025 to uncover the discursive strategies used to frame China’s role in global space exploration. The findings reveal how nomination, predication, argumentation, perspectivization, and intensification/mitigation strategies are employed to construct China as both a technologically advanced nation and a cooperative global actor. Aerospace achievements are not merely reported as scientific progress, but rather as symbolic resources reinforcing national pride, collective identity, and a vision of China’s modernity. Such discursive constructions also serve as instruments of cultural diplomacy, facilitating the global communication of Chinese values and national narratives through the lens of technological excellence. The study argues that these media narratives function as instruments of technonationalism, projecting cultural values such as self-reliance, innovation, and global leadership. By exploring the interplay between media discourse, national identity, and cultural ideology, this research contributes to broader discussions on how language in media shapes public perception and reflects evolving societal norms in the context of digital-era science communication.

Keywords—Cultural Identity, Media Discourse, Aerospace News, Discourse-Historical Approach, National Image

Cite: Ruxi Wang and Yi Zhang, "Constructing Cultural Identity in Chinese Media: A Critical Discourse Study of China Daily’s Aerospace Reporting," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 290-294, 2025.

Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).

 

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