A Corpus-Based Study on the Hetero-Construction of Hangzhou’s City Image in Overseas Media Discourse

媒体话语形塑公共舆论，国际媒体对特定城市的报道塑造该城市的国际形象。本文以海外英文媒体对中国城市的话语建构为研究对象，以亚运时期的杭州为例，采用语料库语言学和批评话语分析路径，探讨国外主流媒体对杭州城市形象的塑造情况。研究发现，除了亚运会东道主，海外英文媒体话语还构建了杭州作为商业城市、生物科技城市、医疗科技城市等的形象。海外不同地区媒体话语对杭州城市形象的塑造主要使用了指称策略、论辩策略及视角化策略等话语策略。海外媒体话语对杭州城市形象的多元化建构，与杭州城市的发展背景以及海外媒体的政治倾向有密切的关系。本研究可为国际社会对中国城市认知与评价的研究路径提供一定的借鉴，可为中国城市制定和实施国际化战略提供一定的参考。Media discourse shapes public opinion, and international media coverage of specific cities constructs their global image. This study focuses on the discursive construction of Chinese cities in overseas English-language media, taking Hangzhou during the Asian Games period as a case study. Employing corpus linguistics and critical discourse analysis, the research explores how mainstream foreign media shape the image of Hangzhou. The findings reveal that, beyond being portrayed as the host city of the Asian Games, overseas English-language media also construct Hangzhou as a commercial hub, a biotech city, and a medical technology city. The discursive strategies employed by media from different regions primarily include referential strategies, argumentation strategies, and perspectivization strategies. The diversified construction of Hangzhou’s city image in overseas media discourse is closely related to the city’s developmental context and the political orientations of the media outlets. This study offers insights into research approaches for understanding international perceptions and evaluations of Chinese cities and provides references for Chinese cities in formulating and implementing internationalization strategies.