Cultural mediation in policy communication: how China’s government work reports travel from central discourse to local governance

Abstract This article examines cultural mediation as a component of policy communication across administrative levels. Focusing on China’s Reports on the Work of the Government (RWGs) from 2013 to 2022, it asks how culturally embedded language allows national aims to remain recognisable as they move into local governance. The analysis centres on two recurrent resources, allusions and formulaic expressions, and traces how they are taken up in provincial and municipal texts. By reading national reports alongside materials from Yunnan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Hubei, the study shows that local administrations do not simply reproduce central wording. Instead, they draw on familiar expressions to restate policy in forms that fit specific governance contexts. These expressions do not function as ornaments alone. They provide interpretive cues that can make policy aims easier to recognise and communicate in local settings, while maintaining visible alignment with central objectives. Conceptually, the article brings together cultural studies, political communication, and governance theory to show how language operates in the circulation of policy. It highlights how such phrasing can support coordination across levels of governance without assuming direct effects on public response.