The image of China in modern Russian media (based on materials from the National Corpus of the Russian Language)

Li Qizheng Postgraduate student; Department of Modern Russian Linguistics; Ufa University of Science and Technology Zaki Validi str., 32, Ufa, 450076, Russia LiQizheng@yandex.ru

Introduction

Any phenomenon important for human society is reflected in language, and language responds to significant realities of reality instantly and fixes the units representing them for a long time. The language of mass media (mass media) as a mobile structure is especially active in the linguistic embodiment of actual components of reality: "Being dynamic in nature, the language of mass media reacts most quickly to all changes in public consciousness, reflecting the state of the latter and influencing its formation" ^{[1, p. 210]}.

The concept of linguistic consciousness belongs to the field of psycholinguistics, an interdisciplinary science that was formed at the intersection of psychology and linguistics and "studies language primarily as a phenomenon of the psyche", existing "to the extent that there is an inner world of the speaker and listener, writing and reading" ^{[2, p. 398]}. I. A. Sternin suggests understanding language consciousness as "a set of mental mechanisms for generating, understanding speech and storing language in consciousness, that is, mental mechanisms that ensure the process of human speech activity" ^{[3, p. 7]}. For psycholinguistics, it is important not what phenomena (lexemes, phraseological units, images) already exist in the language, but how they appeared, what motivated them from the point of view of the human psyche, human perception of the surrounding reality. Linguistic consciousness receives a concrete embodiment in language, including in the language of the media; thus, the abstract is realized in the concrete. From this point of view, linguistic consciousness is "a set of images of consciousness formed and expressed using linguistic means – words, free and stable phrases, sentences, texts and associative fields" ^{[4, p. 20]}.

In the context of linguistic consciousness, various images can be considered, each of which is a ‘copy, impression, imprint in the consciousness of phenomena of objective reality’ ^[5]. Each image reflected in the linguistic consciousness, and then in the language, deserves the most careful study both in terms of content and in terms of form – the linguistic units that embodied it. Our research is devoted to the representation of the image of China in the Russian language consciousness (in the space of the language of modern media).

Literature review

The image of China in modern Russian media attracts the attention of many researchers, whose observations are diverse. A.M. Kirsanova concentrates on the discourse of those media outlets that write about China, and notes that their publications "are predominantly neutral, and in some cases positive" ^{[6, p. 60]}. L. Guo believes that in modern Russian media, the "image of digital China" has been created as "one of the world leaders in digitalization, which is supported by the state and its citizens" ^{[7, p. 26]}. I. V. Bitsueva addresses the issue of the evolution of the image of China in the Russian media, referring to the period of the XVIII – early XX centuries, and discovers that such features This image, such as "the idea of China as a country of philosophy, mysticism and wisdom" and "the fear of China settling the Far East" ^{[8, p. 101]}, are relevant today. R. V. Pavlyukevich notes that in the Soviet media 1946-1953 China has gone from a "victim of the militarists" to a "proletarian brother" ^{[9, p. 117]}. Understanding the dynamics of an image is very important for understanding its essence, which is transformed due to historical, political, and cultural reasons.

In scientific publications, one can see opposite assessments of the connotations of the image of China in the Russian media. For example, A. A. Khabarov, A. P. Chudinov and Yang Ke note that "the narratives of modern Russian media discourse on Chinese topics contribute to the formation of a positive image of the PRC as a strategic ally and trade partner of the Russian Federation" ^{[10, p. 159]}, the positive nature of this image is also indicated by Yu. I. Zlobina, K. Liang ^{[11, p. 205]}. At the same time, I. S. Karabulatova and M. D. Lagutkina reveal that the Russian media "creates a menacingly dangerous image of China using bright, emotionally colored vocabulary" ^{[12, p. 48]}. Most often, China is considered as a polysemous and ambivalent symbol in demand in Russian culture – "the bearer of both positive symbols (ancient history, rich culture, fine art, political significance, stability, exoticism, mystery) and negative (low quality of goods, an overabundance of population)" ^{[13, p. 227]}. The observed discrepancies in the understanding of the image of China actualize the importance of our research.

The purpose of this article is to identify the main features of the image of China, represented in the language of modern media. Russian Russian Language research was conducted on the material of the newspaper subcorpus of the National Corpus of the Russian Language ^[14], while primarily selecting texts that are not devoted to the Chinese topic, in which fragments of the Russian linguistic consciousness are most reliably represented. We think that the NCRE material selected in this way will allow us to objectively present the image of China that exists in the linguistic consciousness of a modern native speaker of the Russian language.

The results of the study

The image of China is created in the media through a whole range of lexical and phraseological means: China, Chinese, Chinese, Celestial Empire, Chinese dummy, Chinese ceremonies, Chinese letters, etc.

China is mentioned in publications quite often, information about it, most often its economy and technology, is given even in articles that deal with other issues unrelated to the PRC. This information may relate to the country's technological achievements: "China has the most extensive network of charging stations for cars in the world" (Vedomosti, 2021.12.29), as well as China's successes in the social sphere – in the fields of medicine, social protection of the population: "Today, China is following this path, where social guarantees are still available mainly to urban employees and civil servants" (Vedomosti, 2021.12.20). They are given for illustration, comparison with similar achievements of other countries. Also in the Russian media, in political publications, the idea of a geopolitical, global confrontation between China and the United States is postulated: "Ermakov draws attention to the fact that, despite all the tension in Russian-American relations, China remains the main opponent for the United States" (Vedomosti, 2021.12.22).

China is also characterized in the media by pragmatism, portrayed as a state acting primarily in its own interests. For this, for example, the epithet pragmatic is used: "... Pragmatic China does not help like-minded people in principle" (Vedomosti, 2021.12.20).

The most important feature of China's image as a modern state, manifested in Russian media publications, is the production of a significant number of various goods here, which are exported to various countries of the world, including Russia: "China, for its part, supplies smartphones and other equipment for Russians, which occupies leading positions in terms of popularity" (Parliamentary Newspaper, 2021.12.16). China is also often referred to as a country where Russia actively supplies its energy resources: "Coal imports to China from Russia have increased significantly this year" (Vedomosti, 2021.12.15). Interestingly, the image of China created in the Russian media does not include such a component as the low quality and cheapness of goods produced in China, as is observed, for example, in the language of fiction ^{[13, p. 230]}. In the media, it is more about the strength of Chinese industry and economy, their significant role in the global space.

The Chinese dragon combination is used as the national symbol of the country and its people. With the help of this symbol, for example, you can allegorically represent the disadvantage for Russia of bad relations with China, the loss of interaction: "And if a Chinese dragon stands behind the Mongolian wolf, our bear will have a hard time" (Vedomosti, 2021.12.13).

The perception of the modern image of China reflects the idea of the ancient history of this country, its rich culture, medicine and philosophy, which, according to journalists, a European cannot fully understand or comprehend: "We do not know the possibilities of Chinese, Eastern and Tibetan medicine, we do not know the basics of Chinese philosophy of behavior" (Soviet sport, 04/10/2010). Everything that happens in modern China, all related phenomena, events, and features of representatives of the Chinese people are interpreted as conditioned by this ancient philosophy: "The origins of the art of Tai Chi go into the depths of Chinese philosophy" (Slavic Brotherhood // Vedomosti, 2000.06.16).

The media creates (and/or reflects the image of China already created in the Russian language consciousness) as a strong state playing an important role on the world stage, as a technologically advanced country with a steadily developing social sphere and powerful production, as a permanent economic partner of Russia, as well as a state with an ancient history and philosophy. The media reproduce the idea, characteristic of the Russian language consciousness, that it is necessary to maintain friendly relations with this state, which are a guarantee of the stability of both countries and the security of Russian borders.

One of the lexemes that represent the image of China in the media has a high stylistic coloring: the Celestial Empire. It can be used simply as a synonym to avoid repetition of the lexemes China, Chinese, but more often performs the function of creating a positive image of China. For example: "The Celestial Empire is trying to solve its internal problems, to give a new impetus to the economic development of the country" (Parliamentary Newspaper, 2018.04.18).

China is also positioned in the Russian media as a country with an ancient and rich culture. A number of realities of Chinese culture (a Chinese flashlight, a Chinese dummy, a Chinese vase, etc.), judging by media reports, act as familiar to Russia, have come into use, and have become understandable. The articles talk about them without explanation; it is assumed that readers know what they are talking about. In addition, a number of objects of Chinese origin are understood to have significant material value: "A Chinese vase was stolen from the apartment of a Moscow pensioner" (lenta.ru , 04.10.2017).

The strong position of phenomena of Chinese origin in the Russian cultural field is manifested, in particular, when they act as objects of comparative constructions, for example, in the description of the appearance of a participant in the Beauty of Russia 2006 contest: "Sashenka Mazur – in a dress similar to a Chinese flashlight, and with two funny pigtails..." (Komsomolskaya Pravda, 07/26/2006). Stable phrases denoting Chinese realities are often understood allegorically:

"There is such a toy – a Chinese dummy. If you touch him, he starts shaking his head nonstop. Unfortunately, our cinema now resembles this toy – it shakes from one side to the other" (Arguments and Facts, 06/20/2007); in this case, the external sign of a Chinese toy is taken as the basis, which is reinterpreted as an internal sign of the development of Russian cinema;

"What to do with a broken seal? – treat him as if he were a Chinese vase (try to force-feed a Chinese vase screaming and running away from you with herring)" (L. Beloivan. Everything in the world is a seal // Novaya Gazeta, 08/05/2015); the expression as with a Chinese vase is understood in the sense of ‘carefully so as not to damage a fragile and valuable object’;

"Algorithms of interaction between Russian departments are compared with complex "ancient Chinese ceremonies"" (Izvestia, 11/08/2012). Chinese ceremonies mean ‘excessive politeness, excessive conventions in relations between people’ ^{[15, p. 203]}; the expression goes back to knowledge about the complexity of the rules of etiquette at the court of Chinese emperors;

"For Europe, the multi–stage system of American elections is like Chinese literacy" (NEWSru.com , 04.01.2008). The phraseological unit Chinese literacy in the dictionary is interpreted as ‘something inaccessible to understanding' ^{[15, p. 202]}. It can be added that this is the name of something very complex, difficult to explain, but having an internal logic that is difficult to understand without special training; the expression is based on the complexity of Chinese hieroglyphic writing;

"Tatyana Baganova's new play: people as hieroglyphs" (Vedomosti, 2011.12.09) – comparison with hieroglyphs is used in the media to emphasize the mystery, incomprehensibility, complexity and intricacy of the phenomenon;

"A financial company should have a "Chinese wall" – it is designed to restrict access to confidential information" (Vedomosti, 2019.12.17). The Chinese wall here is an insurmountable barrier (from the name of the ancient wall that separated China from Mongolia)’ ^{[15, p. 202]};

"But Saturday is still like China..." (Soviet Sport, 03/09/2011). The expression as to China means "very far away", which reflects the idea of China's distant location, dating back to the early stage of relations between the countries, when Russian residents could reach China only in a few months.

The use of an object as a phraseological unit, an image of a metaphor or a comparative construction indicates its strong penetration into the Russian linguistic consciousness, that it is among the precedent phenomena to which a native speaker appeals in the firm belief that they are also present in the cultural fund of the addressees ^{[16, p. 62]}. Precedent phenomena as objects of allegorical constructions relate primarily to Russian culture, and only then to foreign culture, denoting phenomena that are certainly familiar to most speakers of the language. The phraseological fund of the Russian language (and most of these expressions refer to phraseological units) has been formed over the centuries on the basis of knowledge about China and Chinese culture, its antiquity, the value of its objects (artistic and material), the complexity and intricacy of ancient hieroglyphic writing, as well as the distant location of China. The content of phraseological units closely intertwined the mentalities of the Russian and Chinese peoples, reflected the idea of China as an exotic, unusual country, with an original culture that has long attracted the attention of residents of Russia.

It is interesting to consider the comparative constructions with the Chinese object appearing in the language of the media and the meanings expressed by them:

"I'm generally like a Chinese,– Gerasichkin laughs. – If I see something good anywhere, I will definitely do it at my place" (lenta.ru , 05/13/2017), "We rappers, like the Chinese, take the best" (Trud-7, 11/15/2010) – such a feature of the Chinese mentality as the ability to copy the achievements of others and embody them in our own culture and production stands out. This quality, on the one hand, is evaluated respectfully, as in the examples above, on the other – ironically, with a hint that this is the reason for the Chinese production success: "Draw the design, change the logos, as the Chinese do" (lenta.ru , 08/28/2015). We can talk about the consolidation in the Russian language consciousness of the idea of the Chinese as enterprising people, open to everything new, and as cunning;

"I wake up in the morning – like a Chinese, both eyes are swollen" (Arguments and Facts, 08/04/18). In the story about a swollen man from bee stings, the peculiarity of the appearance of the Chinese is emphasized – a narrow slit of the eyes;

"Alla admitted that the main thing in her work is practice and fanatical love for her work: "We work like the Chinese. We work a lot"" (lenta.ru , 11/29/2017). The comparison is based on an appeal to hard work as a key feature of the Chinese people, citizens of the People's Republic of China;

"When I was in school, they said: smart as a hundred Chinese" (Soviet Sport, 02/04/2013). In this case, the basis for comparison was such a quality of the Chinese as intelligence, which, in our opinion, is associated with cunning and wisdom. The idea of native Russian speakers about the Chinese mind is motivated by knowledge about the antiquity of Chinese culture, about the Chinese having a special philosophy, part of which is the ability to separate from others, live their lives independently, without succumbing significantly to the influence of Western civilization, which is also manifested through a comparative construction: "He, like a wise Chinese, built a wall around himself which we could not break through" (Izvestia, 05/19/2003).

In the perception of representatives of the Chinese nation, there are many stereotypes fixed in the linguistic consciousness of native speakers of the Russian language. Another one is that the Chinese are similar, but the inhabitants of Russia confuse them, they cannot distinguish by appearance. Based on this stereotype, a comparison of similar (identical) was formed like the Chinese: "Today there are many productions based on classics, and they all look like one another, like the Chinese" (Izvestia, 01/22/2014); "Officials dress up in Bosco costumes on festive days and sit in government boxes of stadiums, the same as the Chinese on the rostrum of the congress" (Vedomosti, 2013.05.31). In the second comparison It is not only about appearance, but also about party traditions, there is irony about the "identical" behavior of members of the Communist Party of the People's Republic of China.

It can be concluded that the Chinese in the Russian language consciousness are stereotypically perceived as people with a characteristic eye section, uniform appearance, enterprising, hardworking, cunning, smart, wise, independent.

Conclusion

Russian Russian-Chinese relations, the Russian and Chinese peoples have been going on for many centuries, which could not but be reflected in the consciousness of the Russian people and in their language. The media demonstrate an actual cast of the Russian language consciousness, representing the images formed in it during the history of the people. The peculiarity of this sphere of application of the Russian language is that through the media one or another image is simultaneously recreated and constructed, that is, the media, being under the influence of linguistic consciousness, in turn influence it.

An analysis of the language of the Russian media shows that the image of China created here has characteristic features. Journalists portray China as a strong and pragmatic state with an ancient history, rich and complex culture and philosophy, with advanced technologies, economy, industry, and social sphere, being an international partner of Russia and an opponent of the United States (politically and economically) on the world stage. Many objects of Chinese culture have entered the cultural code of the Russian people, therefore their names (Chinese vase, Chinese dummy, Chinese letter, Chinese ceremonies, etc.) are phraseological units, are reinterpreted, are actively used in metaphors, comparative constructions. In the perception of native speakers of the Russian language, the image of the Chinese is formed as a hardworking, wise, enterprising, cunning, independent person with a characteristic appearance (eye section).

China is a stable and even stereotypical image for the Russian language consciousness. Everything related to China is perceived as ancient, complex and different. It seems to us that it is originality and otherness that attract native speakers of the Russian language in the image of China, and they turn to it again and again to characterize the most diverse phenomena of reality, which through this image can be viewed from a different angle.

The research conducted in this article has great prospects, since Russia and China are strategic partners in the political, economic, cultural, and educational fields; interaction between the countries is constantly strengthening, and this cannot but affect the Russian language consciousness. Many components of the image of China in the representations of native Russian speakers are stereotypical, traditional, but there are also dynamic components, and their changes largely depend on the way the image of China is implemented in the Russian media.