What kinds of human individuals, events, things and commodities can best represent China? How have those representative symbols evolved in Chinese history? How have they been highlighted, disseminated and accepted?
In this book, a full range of symbols and seemingly discrete social phenomena, hidden in diverse fields of Chinese society, are given lucid explanations based on the interdisciplinary theories of semiotics and communication. It studies the evolution of classic Chinese symbols through history and investigates the root causes for the communication of negative Chinese images in modern times. Besides, this book explicates the pattern of interaction between groups communication and mass communication in the Chinese society by exploring the different paths of transmutation and communication for the symbol of the "APEC Blue." How the image of China is constructed via non-government symbols is also addressed. By pointing out that classic semiotics has been reduced to an embarrassing dilemma of "a severe lack of historical sense," this book seeks to make Western semiotic findings bear closely on Chinese social reality and accomplish an updated contribution to this academic discipline.
This book will appeal to scholars and students of semiotics and communication. Readers who are interested in modern Chinese society will also benefit from it.
List of figures. The Distorted Symbols about China Chapter 1: The Metalanguage's Mechanism of Communicating the Whole via the Part and the Strategy of Corporate Communication Chapter 2: The Semantic Multiplicity of Symbolic Signification: the Evolution of Classic Chinese Symbols through History Chapter 3: The Selectivity of Symbolic Signifiers: the Root Cause for the Communication of Negative Chinese Images in Modern Times Chapter 4: The Metalanguage's Mechanism of Communicating the Whole via the Part: How the Image of China is Constructed via Non-Government Symbols Chapter 5: The Mechanism of Synergic Communication between Two Systems of Signifiers: the International Communication of the Chinese Media Chapter 6: The "APEC Blue": the Transmutation of Symbols from Mass Communication to Groups Communication Chapter 7: The Characteristics of Strong Symbols and their Power of Communication Conclusion. Postscript. Bibliography. Index
Biography
Sui Yan is a professor of School of Journalism and Communication, Communication University of China. His main research fields include semiotic theories of communication, Internet communication and media culture.
