Using interactional metadiscourse for rapport management

Abstract Facing the increasing enrolment pressure, most Chinese universities launch enrolment posts on WeChat. Yet the way posts are written is under-researched. This study analyses metadiscourse resources in thirty Chinese university enrolment posts with the purpose of examining how Chinese universities promote themselves. The findings suggest that Chinese universities attempt to construct positive rapport with prospective students by means of metadiscourse resources. The posts extol universities with attitude markers, hedges and boosters, create intimacy with prospective students with self-mentions and reader-pronouns, and invite readers with reader pronouns, directives and attitude markers. The study suggests that Chinese universities present a paradoxical image, being approachable and superior to readers. The discourse affordance of WeChat, promotional culture in higher education, the traditional identity of the university and its affiliation to the government work together to contribute to the discourse strategies used in the enrolment posts.