A corpus analysis of rural representations in English-language news media in China

Abstract

China, the world's most populous country, has a sizable rural population. From this point of view, rural China's focus can serve as a lens into global rural issues and poverty. This article employs corpus analysis to examine media representations of 'rural' in China Daily newspapers from 2001 to 2021, focusing on rural areas. Findings show that the rural social system in the twenty-first century is more diverse and complex than in the previous century. Economic development is the most frequently discussed factor in rural transformation development (RTD). Additionally, unlike the idyllic life described in previous studies, the Chinese news media are relatively objective and forthright about negative development issues.