Metaphorical Mirrors of the West: China in the British Economic Press

Abstract

Metaphors are key to constructing mnemonic bridges to mediations of the past. This paper will explore this process using the metaphorical representations of China in the British economic press in the contemporary era and assess the extent to which this coverage is based upon older stereotypes of China. The power of stereotypical metaphors of China lies in the adept utilization and application of our shared understanding and nationally specific imaginations of China. Metaphors conceptualizing China as a prototypical exemplification of the Western concept of the Other are systematically associated with ideological justifications for national imaginations and memories of China in British media.