A Fantasy-Theme Analysis of the Reportage “The China Diaries – Discovering the New China along the Trail of the Long March” in the Global and Mail

Abstract

Drawing upon Bormann’s symbolic convergence theory, this paper explores how the concept of home is as significant as it was to Chinese people’s daily lives since the Long March. To this end, this paper provides a fantasy-theme analysis of the series of images in “The China Diaries – Discovering the New China along the Trail of the Long March” published in the electronic version of the Canadian newspaper The Global and Mail. The analysis shows that the theme of home, and the three forms of the rhetorical vision Long March (respectively, as a pragmatic and tactical military strategy, in terms of being a historical event; as a social strategy, in terms of uniting people; and as a strategy of righteousness, in terms of representing transcendent values associated with the ideals of modern Chinese society), play significant roles in Chinese people’s everyday lives. I conclude that although the Long March era has passed, its spirit still inspires Chinese people to strive for the betterment of their own and the whole country’s prosperity wherever they are.

Keywords: Symbolic convergence theory, Fantasy, Fantasy-theme analysis, Long March, Home