Crafting fantasies of dominance: visual framing of Chinese and US leaders in <i>China Pictorial</i> from 1950 to 2021

This study conducts visual content and framing analysis to compare the images of Chinese and US leaders in China Pictorial ( N = 153). Drawing from the images that juxtaposed US and Chinese leaders, the author aims to examine how the ‘fantasy’ of US–China power dynamics is visually crafted by Chinese party-controlled media across three Chinese political eras, spanning from 1950 to 2021. In Mao’s era, China was visualized as resisting US dominance; China appeared to be making advances in global politics in Deng’s era; and under Xi, China was depicted as a courteous great power distinct from the US. These shifting fantasy themes coalesce to craft a rhetorical vision of China as a humble great power challenging and potentially eclipsing US hegemony. This article advances visual political communication by illustrating China’s constructed state power through media, challenging US-centric narratives and tracing the historical shifts in perceived Sino–US power dynamics.