Analysis of Construction and Dissemination of Beijing's International Image with Taking the Opportunity of Two Olympic Games
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2020 5th International Conference on Education and Social Development (ICESD 2020)
ISBN: 978-1-60595-676-3
Analysis of Construction and Dissemination of Beijing’s International
Image with Taking the Opportunity of Two Olympic Games
Lei WANGa and Si-Tong LIUb
Foreign language and applied linguistics, Beijing International Studies University,
Beijing 100024, China
a
trudiwang@126.com, bLST975390606_BISU@163.com
Keywords: Proximization theory; Beijing international image; STA model; Winter Olympic game.
Abstract. The Olympic Game is the largest and largest sports event in the world, which is regarded
as an important opportunity for host countries or host cities to display or reshape the image of the
country. With the continuous improvement of China’s international status and the integration of
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is worth studying in how to
build Beijing’s international image. This paper uses the STA model to compare and analyze the
successful hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2022 Winter Olympics from the perspective
of the Proximization theory proposed by foreign scholar professor Piotr Cap, and proposes
corresponding measures for the construction and dissemination of Beijing’s international image.
Introduction
Success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games has brought Beijing unprecedented attention in the
international community, besides, Beijing’s international image has undergone earth-shaking
changes. In 2015, the proposal of Beijing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics was successfully passed.
It is the first time that the Winter Olympics has been held in Chinese history, which has greatly
increased Beijing's attention at home and abroad.
At the same time, the international community holds hope and doubts about Beijing. How to use
the 2022 Winter Olympics as an opportunity to build an international image of Beijing’s symbiosis
is a field worth studying. Therefore, this paper uses the proximization model to analyze the success
of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and compare it with the 2022 Winter Olympics. Moreover, it
provides a corresponding analysis of how to build Beijing's international image in the new era and
the challenges it will face.
Literature Review
In 2006, Professor Cap first proposed the concept of “Proximization”, which effectively utilized
cognitive pragmatics. At first, there was no concept of “Proximization”. The concept of “Promise”
and “Promising” comes from the study of Professor Paul Chilton in 2004. Chilton uses a concept of
time, space and modality to form a model that visualizes the study of political discourse analysis. In
2008, Cap added the time and value criteria based on the space approach proposed by Chilton, and
introduced the Spatial-Temporal-Axiological Proximization Model, which was analyzed in the war
discourse of Iraq and proved its effectiveness.
As a new theory, there are not much scholars who have studied related research on the
proximization theory. In the Proximization published in 2013, Cap considered and analyzed related
research and concluded that the proximization theory can be used as a tool for various types of
discourse analysis. Such as: Iraqi war discourse rhetoric [3], Immigration discourse [12].
In China, although no scholars have used this theory for discourse analysis, many people have
made relevant researches: Wu Jianguo, Lin Jinrong, etc. [22] made a summary and introduction of
this theory; Zhang Hui [26] commented on Professor Cap's Language of Fear: Communication of
Threats in Public Discourse, or a translation practice report completed by Applied Cognitive
Pragmatics to Critical Discourse Studies: A Proximization Analysis of Three Public Space
112Discourses. It can be seen that at home and abroad, except for Professor Cap, who founded the
theory, few people apply this theory in the process of discourse analysis. Therefore, the value of this
theory is very large, and the scope of application is also worth exploring.
In the domestic research of the international image of China or Beijing, Jin Yuanpu [14]
discussed the international image construction of China and the revival of Chinese culture from the
cultural aspect; Huang Wei [13] conducted research on the track and field high-speed track of the
Beijing Olympic Games at the level of political heritage from the perspective of sports political
communication; Ren Hongjuan [21] analyzed the construction and dissemination of China's
international image from the perspective of Western media. In the related research of the Beijing
Olympic Games, there are few scholars who use the critical discourse analysis to study the Beijing
Olympic Games. Mao Mingce, Wang Qi, Tian Liang [18] studied the meteorological conditions of
the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics; Xu Chenglong.
Therefore, under the trend of interdisciplinary research, this paper uses the new method of critical
discourse analysis, and takes the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity to study the
construction of Beijing’s international image according to the proposed “Beijing symbiosis
international image discourse”.
Theoretical Framework
Proximization Theory refers to the perception of the outsider from the perspective of discourse,
in order to achieve the speaker's own purpose, and thus agree to legalize the corresponding
measures. The foreign threat here refers to the ODC (outside-deictic-center), which means the entity
outside the center; the speaker and the listener refer to the IDC (inside-deictic-center), which
indicates the entity inside the center. ODC has three aspects of the approach model: time, space, and
consciousness. Therefore, the STA-model (Spatial-Temporal-Axiological Proximization Model)
studies the speaker’s discourse strategy and context in three dimensions: time, space and value.
Spatial proximization refers to the process in which the ODC approaches the IDC from the
spatial dimension in the discourse space. Temporal proximization refers to the presupposition of
impending conflicts based on past events in the discourse space, or the prevention of current
situations based on predictions of future contradictions. Axiological proximization refers to the fact
that the negative concept of the ODC side is materialized into corresponding values and ideologies
in the constant conflicts with the IDC, which enables the hearer to understand the internal entity
value system and the hostile external system.
Proximization theory sets the internal center to IDC, and the IDC as the core can be divided into
a time axis (horizontal axis), a spatial axis (upper axis), and a value axis (oblique axis). When the
IDC is placed in the discourse analysis text, the corresponding axes have corresponding concepts, as
shown in Fig. 1.
Figure 1. Basic Model of Proximization Theory Analysis (STA Model).
STA Model Analysis
Analysis of 2008 Summer Olympics Games Propaganda
With the slogan of the Olympic Games "One World, One Dream", the announcement of the
113mascot, and the sing of the theme song, the world's attention to Beijing has been rising, and reached
a climax after the successful completion of the opening ceremony.
Slogan. “One world, One dream” as the slogan of the Chinese and English theme of the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee interpreted the theme slogan.
“One World, One Dream” embodies the essence of the Olympic spirit and universal values-unity,
friendship, progress, harmony, participation and dreams. It expresses the common understanding of
the world under the inspiration of the Olympic spirit and the pursuit of a better future for mankind
desire. The Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee believes that this theme slogan profoundly
reflects the core concept of the Beijing Olympic Games and embodies the harmonious values
embodied in the humanistic Olympics as the core and soul of the three concepts of “Green
Olympics, High-tech Olympics, and Humanistic Olympics”. Building a harmonious society and
achieving harmonious development are our dreams and pursuits. "Heaven and Man are one" and
"harmony is expensive" is the ideal and pursuit of the harmonious relationship between man and
nature and between man and man since ancient times. Peaceful progress, harmonious development,
harmonious coexistence, win-win cooperation, and beautiful life are the common ideals of the
world1.
However, in 2008 Beijing is at the peak of economic development after the reform and opening
up. In order to maintain a high-speed economic development rate and build a large-scale Olympic
village in Beijing, Beijing’s air pollution has become very serious since 2000. After the release of
Beijing Traffic Guarantee Plan during the 2008 Beijing Olympics Paralympic Games 2 and Air
Quality Assurance Measures during the 2008 Beijing Olympics Paralympic Games3 environmental
pollution and air quality have picked up in 2008, but they are still in a serious pollution range. The
2000-2010 Beijing Atmospheric Heavy Pollution Study4 published before and after the Olympics
detailed records and analyzed the data on environmental pollution caused by Beijing's construction
of infrastructure and economic development.
According to the proximization theoretical model, the Olympic Organizing Committee used the
two dimensions of time proximization and value proximization to analyze and formulate the core
concept of the Olympic Games. In the time dimension, Beijing developed its own economy and
built Olympic venues before 2008, therefore, Beijing’s air quality was greatly reduced. Therefore,
the past negative international image was established as a lesson and “green Olympics,” the three
core concepts of the “Science and Technology Olympics and the Humanities Olympics” indicate
that China has absorbed the previous lessons and proposed the three core concepts of “Green
Olympics, Science and Technology Olympics, and Humanistic Olympics;” in the value dimension,
due to the environmental problems mentioned above, some of the domestic and foreign media
(ODC) were questioned before the bid for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games5. Kahn, Joseph, and
Jim Yardley believed that Beijing sacrificed the environment for the rapid development of the
Olympic venues and they believed that Beijing Environmental issues have become a global problem.
The focus of Beijing at home and abroad has been biased towards environmental quality issues.
Therefore, when formulating the theme slogan and core concept of the Olympic Games, the
Olympic Committee converted and sublimated the media’s negative perceptions of Beijing’s
environmental problems into the Beijing Olympic Games. The new values are the three core
concepts of “Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics, and Humanistic Olympics”. Transforming
Beijing's negative image of developing economic pollution into a positive international image
1
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: symbol, slogan; last login time net ease Olympics: http://info.2012.163.com/match/2008.html. Last login time in
November 2018.
2
Ministry of transport, ministry of environmental protection, ministry of public security, Beijing municipal people's
governmenthttp://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2008-06/24/content_1025897.htm, last login time in October 2018.
3
Beijing municipal people's government: measures for air quality assurance during the 2008 Beijing Olympic and paralympic games, April 14, 2008;
http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2008-04/14/content_944313.htm, last login time in October 2018.
4
Li Lingjun, Wang Ying, Li Qian, Xin Lianzhong and Jin Jun: research on heavy air pollution in Beijing from 2000 to 2010, Chinese environmental
science, 2012 (1).
5
Kahn, Joseph, and Jim Yardley. "China's Economic Growth Is Bad for the Environment." Should the U.S. Do Business with China?, Greenhaven
Press, 2008. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Originally published as "The Dark Side of China's Boom," International Herald Tribune, 27
Aug. 2007, p. 1.
114advocates green environmental protection, scientific and technological convenience, and strong
humanity. Of course, the transformation of the national image must be combined with the
transformation of the discourse system and the corresponding measures to truly make a difference,
truly achieving the international image of “green, scientific, human” economic, technological,
cultural and environmental symbiosis that the Beijing Olympic Games wants to spread. The
analysis mode is shown in Fig. 2.
Figure 2. Analysis of the Time and Value Proximization of the Core Concept of the Olympic Games.
In terms of the Olympic slogan, the Olympic Organizing Committee has mainly adopted the
dimension of time proximization and space proximization. “One world, one dream” refers to both
China and the world. This has greatly narrowed the distance between China and the world. Beijing
is also closer to the world stage. It expresses the lofty ideals of the people of Beijing and the
Chinese people and the people of the world sharing a beautiful homeland, sharing the fruits of
civilization and working together to create a better future. The use of the two “同一” (One), in the
spatial dimension, not only expresses the determination of the people of Beijing and the Chinese
people to build a global village with foreign people, but also closes the distance and reflects the
international image of Beijing's inclusive culture; Besides, in the time dimension, it expresses the
pursuit of “the combination of heaven and man” and “harmony for the people” since ancient times.
It links ancient values with the slogan of the Beijing Olympic Games and embodies the
international image of Beijing’s profound cultural heritage. Analysis is shown in Fig. 3.
Figure 3. Analysis of the Time and Space Proximization of the Olympic Slogan.
Songs. The songs for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are shown in Table 1.
Table 1. All Songs for the 2008 Olympic Games.
The Theme Song You and Me
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games countdown 100 days theme song Welcome to Beijing;
One World One Dream
Countdown one year anniversary song We are ready,
Everyone is No.1,
Forever Friends
The theme song of volunteers for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games I am star
2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony theme song Fire of love
115In this section, take Welcome to Beijing as an example for analysis. The analysis model is shown
in Fig. 4.
First of all, the propaganda song Welcome to Beijing has made people of all countries curious
about Beijing. This theme song, which was signed and sung by one hundred stars, became the
sound of the Music Radio on-demand champion in 20096; the spread of this song and the speed of
propaganda against Beijing have increased rapidly, and the image of Beijing has gradually become
clear. The desire of the people of the world to understand Beijing has also been increasing. In
addition to the catchy melody, the lyrics of Beijing Welcomes You have made people around the
world start to re-recognize Beijing.
From the perspective of ordinary people in Beijing, the lyrics adopted the form of folk songs and
used simple words to pull the distance between the people of the world and Beijing. As if the earth
is a small village, “My doors” has a happy event and invites folks from the village and share this joy
together. Using the STA model, IDC is aimed at Beijing, and ODC is Beijing’s past international
image. From the perspective of time proximization, through the friendly words, “My doors are
always open, ready to embrace you with a hug, a hug to know you better, for you'll love this place”7,
which proves that Beijing is no longer the closed city in the past. Now “doors are open; a hug” and
wait for the people of all countries in the world to visit; “The Evergreen at my place is quite
legendary, sown on the old Soil for memories to be cherished”7 emphasizes the profound
accumulation of Chinese history and culture. On the basis of deep accumulation, it still follows the
times to open up one miracle after another; in this dimension, through lyric analysis, Beijing aims to
improve the closed and backward international image and to create an open and inclusive image
with time passing and an international image of deep historical heritage.
From the perspective of the distance proximization, it is analyzed that “Another morning is
coming and brings in the fresh air; our friendship will never change, just like the fragrance of the
green tea.”7 The lyrics trace back to the period of ancient Chinese tea and ancient roads and the Silk
Road. As one of the transportation commodities, tea has become the link between China and the
whole world. Today, the lyrics are citing the “The fragrance of the green tea,” which once again
evokes the impression of the people of the world on China and Beijing, and narrows the people of
the world. The psychological distance to Beijing has reduced the sense of uncertainty (Hofstede)8
and laid a historical foundation for the construction of Beijing’s new international image.
From the perspective of value proximization, “Welcome to Beijing, we built these all for you;
Flow with charm, refreshed and energized. Welcome to Beijing, let's take a breath beneath the sun;
Let's set our new records on this Soil”; and “Welcome to Beijing, touching you like this melody;
Let's excel and try our best; Welcome to Beijing, dreamers are forerunners, miracles, for those
daring to try;”7 repeated four times in the whole song, “charm” conveys the vital development of
Beijing The situation, “excel and try our best,” “dreamers,” “daring,” “miracles,” conveyed the
brave and hard-working sports spirit advocated by the Beijing Olympics. “Welcome to Beijing”
reflects that Beijing is ready to welcome guests of the world; and this sportsmanship is not only the
purpose of the Beijing Olympics, but also the values to be disseminated in the construction of
Beijing's international image.
6
China TOP ranking award ceremony. 21CN, last login time in September 2018.
7
Lyrics of welcome to Beijing: baidu encyclopedia;
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%8C%97%E4%BA%AC%E6%AC%A2%E8%BF%8E%E4%BD%A0/5194?Fr = Aladdin; Last login date:
November 2018.
8
Hofstede Insights: The six dimensions of national culture:
https://geerthofstede.com/culture-geert-hofstede-gert-jan-hofstede/6d-model-of-national-culture/ ; Last login time in November 2018.
116Figure 4. STA Analysis Model of “Welcome to Beijing.”
Analysis of 2022 Winter Olympics Games Propaganda
On February 25, 2018, the closing of the PyeongChang Olympics heralded the official entry into
"Beijing time." Since the Winter Olympics is still in the preparatory stage, the slogan and mascot
have not yet been determined. From the “Beijing 8 minutes” promotional film9 on the closing
ceremony of the PyeongChang Olympics, this paper is combined with the article Interpretation of
"Beijing 8 Minutes" Cultural Performance 10 proposed by the Beijing Olympics Organizing
Committee official website, which analyzes the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics’ analysis of
Beijing’s international image construction. So far, the relevant analysis of proximization theory has
been limited to the level of political discourse, however, in this section, the proximization theory
will be applied to the analysis of non-verbal and multimodel symbols other than words.
In this performance, IDC refers to the new international image built by Beijing in 2022. ODC
refers to the international image built after the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. It is worth noting that
ODC has a negative impact on IDC in the approach of proximity, which poses a threat; but in this
analysis, the international image (ODC) built in Beijing after 2008 is not negative for 2022, but the
old international image (Fig. 5).
In the “Beijing 8 minutes” cultural performances, a large number of analytical methods in the
time dimension were used to construct a new international image of Beijing. Using the “ice screen”
to tell the story of the Chinese story, firstly the Great Wall symbolize Beijing, followed by China’s
high-speed rail, Chinese bridges, highways, urban development, “Bird’s Nest”, “Tianyan” and other
series of China’s development in the past decade. The new innovations shows significant progress
in urban development, transportation, innovation and technology in the past ten years since the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games. It emphasizes that Beijing is not only a city with profound historical
heritage, but also a city of innovation and development, which is also a leading position. In addition,
at the end of the performance, a huge envelope appeared on the screen of the venue. The previous
Winter Olympics appeared in the bottom of the envelope. Finally, the words “2022 Meet Beijing”
appeared on the screen, expressing the Winter Olympics. The people of the world meet in Beijing.
In this dimension, through the change of time, Beijing uses high-tech technology to vividly display
its rapid development image in front of the people of the world and build a new international image
of Beijing under a new era.
In the spatial dimension, “Beijing 8 minutes” mainly uses some symbolic media to shorten the
psychological distance between foreign people and Beijing, China. At the beginning of the
performance, there were two "Panda Captains". The pandas were lovely and adorable, not only the
loving animals around the world, but also one of the Chinese symbols. The “Panda Captains” led 24
actors to intermittently slide out a series of images of different sports, Chinese knots, etc., indicating
that they are about to enter "Beijing time". Then, after telling the story of China, the earth gradually
appeared on the stage. The smiles of the children of the five continents, the garlands of ribbons,
olive branches and plum blossoms, and the “five rings” that symbolize the Olympics, these media
9
“8 minutes in Beijing” art performance: video link: https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?Id =1593379555647191658& WFR =spider&for= PC, last landing
date November 2018.
10
Cultural and artistic performance "8 minutes in Beijing" explanation: the Beijing games organizer’s official website:
http://www.beijing2022.cn/a/20180225/012654.htm last login time in November 2018.
117have brought the distance between the people of the world and Beijing, which shows that we live
together in the global village and build a better future. After the previous Chinese story was told,
Beijing’s new image has already revealed a new part. Next, it will bring the people of the world
close to Beijing and invite them to come to “New Beijing.”
In the value dimension, except for the good side of international image after 2008, negative side
exists as well. The over-fast development speed, ignorance of environmental problems, weak
independent innovation ability, which have caused some doubts from foreign media. In the face of
these doubts, in the past decade, Beijing turns questioning into driving force, in the process of
maintaining economic development, pays more attention to the governance of environmental issues,
and a series of innovations such as “Tianyan,” China Space Station and “UAV” which have been
proved the innovative ability of China. In “Beijing 8 minutes,” the story of the Chinese story gives
the people of the world the most intuitive display of the new international image of Beijing's new
era. In this dimension, the challenge to be turned into a new goal under the development of Beijing's
new era, new values, more importantly, a new international image of Beijing by high-tech methods
and techniques.
Figure 5. STA Analysis Model of “Beijing 8 Minutes.
Comparison of Two Olympic Games’ Analysis
Although the propaganda work of the 2022 Winter Olympics has not yet ended, the “Beijing 8
minutes” at the closing ceremony of the Pyongyang Olympic Games in 2018 opened the prelude to
Beijing’s propaganda. Therefore, the construction of Beijing’s new international image has just
begun in 2022. This part explores the impact on the international image of Beijing in different
periods through the analysis and comparison of the two Olympic Games propaganda.
Different Backgrounds. Beijing holds the Olympic Games twice, not only for different seasons,
but also in different levels of social development. Economically, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
is in its 30th anniversary after the reform and opening up. All cities in the country are rapidly
developing their economy to keep up with the development level of other cities in the world.
However, on environmental issues, the Western media has raised some doubts about Beijing
because of the measures taken by Beijing at the expense of the ecological environment to rapidly
develop the economy. During the preparations for the Olympics, Beijing built many gymnasiums,
optimized many infrastructures, and made many changes in the industrial structure. In the eyes of
many foreign journalists, the rapid development of the manufacturing industry is the source of
environmental pollution, so they point their finger at environmental issues to prove their view that
Beijing is not perfect. In 2007, Beijing implemented a four-day motor vehicle limit test. This limit is
actually a rehearsal for traffic control during the Olympics. However, the Western media paid
special attention to the air pollution caused by this test, and questioned the effect of the limit. The
US Washington Post reported on “Beijing’s four-day limit, increased environmental pollution.”11
Now in the preparatory stage of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Beijing at this time is very different
from Old Beijing ten years ago, and has made great progress in balancing environmental and
11
Zhang ying: the social image of Beijing in the mainstream media of the United States and China's international communication strategy—a case
study of the Washington post (2000-2012), proceedings of the fourth national symposium on international communication theory [M]. 2016, pp.
409~414.
118economic development issues. In addition, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in the report of
the 19th National Congress12 that although the international environment was turbulent during the
five years after the 18th National Congress, China’s socialist construction road still maintained a
steady pace of progress and achieved the historic achievements of reform, opening up, and socialist
construction. Great achievements have been made in economic development, democracy and the
rule of law, ideology and culture, and ecological construction. The main contradiction in China’s
current stage has undergone important changes. Xi Jinping pointed out in the report of the 19th
National Congress that “socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and the main
contradictions in our society have been transformed into the people’s growing needs for a better life
and inadequate imbalances”. The contradiction between the developments. It can be seen that China
has completed its goal of standing up in the decades after the reform and opening up, and is now
gradually developing towards the goal of strengthening and getting rich. As the political, economic
and cultural center of China, Beijing now needs to let the people of the world not only see Beijing’s
ability to appear on the world stage, but also let the people of the world see the power of Beijing.
The construction of Beijing’s international image in the new era is inseparable from the current
level of economic, political and cultural development in China.
It can be seen from the comparison that due to the different backgrounds of the two Olympic
Games, with the analysis of the STA model, it is necessary to pay attention to the change of the
ODC object, and the selection of the corresponding dimensions of time, space and value should also
be analyzed.
Different Purposes. Because the background of the two Olympic Games is different, the purpose
of Beijing to build an international image is different. Director Zhang Yimou, who has coached
twice “Beijing 8 minutes,” said in an interview with the “Beijing 8 Minutes” performance of the
Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee’s 2018 PyeongChang Olympics13 that he was dissatisfied
with the “Beijing 8 minutes” in 2004. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Beijing got the first
opportunity to show itself to the world, bearing the Beijing’s desire to build an open and civilized
and international image in the international arena. In order to achieve the Olympic dream of the
Chinese people for 100 years, “Beijing 8 minutes” must show as much as possible. However, too
much information can cause overload, which leads to the complexity of the information conveyed
by the overall performance. Overall, Beijing’s international image construction was very successful
in 2008, but the same strategy cannot be applied to the two Olympic Games. At this time, Beijing
has undergone earth-shaking changes, and new requirements have been made in the reconstruction
of the international image.
Therefore, when guiding the “Beijing 8 minutes” of the Pyongyang Olympic Games in 2018,
director Zhang Yimou re-examined the overall development of China, as well as the information to
be transmitted by Beijing, and completed the cultural performance after the re-positioning of
Beijing. In this “Beijing 8 minutes,” with the Great Wall as the business card of Beijing, the
high-tech and the worldwide people have demonstrated the changes and innovations of China and
Beijing in recent years, presenting a brand-new Beijing international image integrated culture and
technology, history and innovation, green and economic development. In the STA analysis model,
the definition of IDC when constructing Beijing new International image also needs to draw
different conclusions according to different purposes.
Different Measures. Since the 2008 Olympic Games was the first time Beijing appeared on the
international stage, as director Zhang Yimou said, there are so many things in Beijing that they want
to show to the world, so they all stuffed them into an 8-minute cultural performance. At the 2004
Athens Olympic Games, Chinese traditional musical instruments, martial arts performances, history
and culture, four inventions, etc. were displayed to the people of the world in the form of cultural
performances in these 8 minutes, and some young dancers were used to perform these programs. It
12
Xi: runoff to build a well-off society in an all-round way to gain the new era of the great victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the
Chinese communist party national convention report #19 (on October 18, 2017) source: the news of the communist party of China,
http://cpc.people.com.cn/n1/2017/1028/c64094-29613660.html, in November 2018, the last login time.
13
Zhang said "8 minutes in Beijing story" behind the scenes: the Beijing games organizer’s official website:
http://www.beijing2022.cn/a/20180225/014050.htm, in November 2018, the last login time.
119reflects Beijing’s welcoming of the hospitable national spirit to the world and the profound cultural
heritage of the Chinese nation. As the first step in promoting Beijing’s international image at that
time, the “Beijing 8 minutes” in 2004 changed the impression of Beijing on the world from a rigid
seal to a positive openness, but at the same time it did not lose the temperament of the ancient
capital of culture.
Because the last Beijing Olympic Games has successfully built the image of Beijing, It is not
necessary for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to display too many things in the “Beijing 8
minutes.” Using high-tech means, we welcome people from all over the world from a perspective of
culture confidence. It not only shows the spirit of the host of China and Beijing to the people of the
world since ancient times, but also demonstrates the rapid development of science and technology
in China and Beijing in the past decade. Therefore, the “Beijing 8 minutes” exhibited by the
PyeongChang Olympics in 2018 will use robot technology and some other high-tech technologies
to impress Beijing to the people of the world once again.
From the STA model, background, purpose and method of the two “Beijing 8 minutes” cultural
performances are completely different. Therefore, when analyzing IDC, ODC and related factors of
time, space and value, it should be combined with the background and purpose at that time. In
addition to cultural performances, the analysis of other propaganda methods should also pay
attention to, such as: slogans, songs, etc. The “Beijing 8-minute” in 2018 uses the “Chinese story”
displayed by high-technology and greatly reduces the spatial time between the people of the world
and Beijing, thus changing the negative impression that domestic and foreign media have left on
Beijing since the 2008 Olympic Games, transforming it into a positive image that is favorable to
Beijing, and then successfully building a new international image of Beijing.
Attitudes towards the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Game at Home and Abroad. As the first
city in history to host both the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, the domestic and
foreign media have held an attitude of hope and doubt about the Beijing Winter Olympics. Because
of the success of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the infrastructure and some experienced
management personnel have made the international community feel comfortable with Beijing’s
ability to host international large-scale events. After the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, the
competition judged the injustice, the deficit in economic development, and the decline in
international influence have all caused disappointment among the people of the world to
PyeongChang.14 In contrast, the expectations for the next host city, Beijing, are even greater; in the
rapid development of China in recent years, the Chinese people have given a positive answer about
Beijing’s ability to undertake such large-scale sports events. The question is because of the smog
problem that has always existed in Beijing. It is still unknown whether it can maintain a clear sky
when heating is needed in winter; and whether the artificial snow made due to the rare precipitation
in Beijing can guarantee the smooth progress of the event.
When propagating the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, these hopes and doubtful voices should be
taken into account as necessary factors. Therefore, when using the STA model to analyze and
construct Beijing’s new international image, it is advantageous to change the questioning in these
three dimensions. The axiological dimension is at the very center. Using the comparative analysis of
time and space dimensions, the domestic and foreign challenges to the Winter Olympics will be
converted into development goals and standards, and a winter centered on the three concepts of
“athlete-centered, sustainable development, and thrift” will be held. The Olympic Games will
re-construct Beijing’s new international image under the new requirements of the new era. In terms
of time dimension, the previous successful experience in 2008 should be used in the international
image propaganda in 2022, and the air quality situation in Beijing in 2008 would be compared with
the present. With the factual basis, the people have confidence in Beijing’s ability. In the spatial
dimension, the lessons learned from the PyeongChang Olympics will be used as the “nutrition” for
the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the construction of Beijing's new international image. The
14
PyeongChang winter Olympics: a bad economic book, a costly gamble. Source: thepaper.cn. http://www.sohu.com/a/224047739_260616. The last
login date was November 2018.
120comparative analysis will lead to the Beijing Winter Olympics and the construction of a new
international image, which need to be paid great attention. Therefore, when analyzing the
construction of Beijing New International Image in 2022 with domestic and foreign attitudes as the
material, we should focus on the axiological dimension and apply time and space dimension as
supplement, turn doubts into notices, convert hope into motivation, and build a new international
image of Beijing.
Challenges and Corresponding Measures of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Game. First
of all, challenges of China. The precipitation and snowfall in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou
have been relatively small, which has caused great obstacles to the successful holding of the Beijing
Winter Olympics; the quality of artificial snow has also become an influential factor for the
successful completion of the event. The long distance between Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou
has a great impact on the smooth running of the event; and the smog problem that has always
existed has made the domestic citizens have a good chance of Beijing’s successful hosting of the
Winter Olympics, in doubt. However, there are suspicions and countermeasures. In a press
conference held in PyeongChang, South Korea on February 24, 2018, 2022 Beijing Olympics
Committee explained the progress of the preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the
organizing committee also said that the amount of snowfall will not affect the snowfall during the
Winter Olympics. Indoor competitions, and artificial snow will be manufactured in accordance with
the standards of the International Olympic Committee to solve this problem. For the venue issue,
Chang Yu, director of the Propaganda Department of the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee,
said that the venues left by the 2008 Summer Olympics will be transformed into venues suitable for
the Winter Olympics; and that the distance between the three places is too long, often Yu revealed
that the high-speed rail connecting Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou is expected to be completed
by 2020, which greatly shortens the time spent on the road during the event.15 These according
measures for climate, venues and infrastructure have made people at home and abroad have great
confidence in the success of the Beijing Winter Olympics. In addition, Beijing has not stopped on
the road to cure.
Figure 6. STA Analysis Model for the Attitude of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Secondly, questions about China’s human rights issue. After the success of Beijing’s bid to host
the Winter Olympics, due to the success of the 2008 Olympic Games, many infrastructures and
well-trained and experienced managers were left, which laid a foundation for the 2022 Winter
Olympics. As a result, some organizations and media at home and abroad began to take China’s
human rights issues as a big thing. Groups supporting ethnic, human rights and civil rights activists
expressed disappointment with the IOC’s decision, saying it was only a reward for bad behavior in
Beijing. The Chinese human rights organization said in a statement: “This decision will further hurt
China’s most vulnerable groups and undermine the credibility of the IOC.”16 Bob, Asia project
coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists • Bob Dietz is also skeptical about China’s
15
Beijing winter Olympics organizing committee: the amount of snow in Beijing will not affect the competition. Source: China news.
http://www.chinanews.com/ty/2018/02-24/8453485.shtml. Last login date: November 2018.
16
Editorial: "human rights organizations" to join the winter Olympics. Source: global times.
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2015-03/5990179.html. Last login date: November 2018.
121guarantees when it comes to the Olympics. “China’s record of freedom of the press and human
rights is not worthy of reward.”17 In the face of the world’s attention to human rights issues in the
Beijing Olympics, although China does not yet have a complete system for human rights issues, in
recent years China’s efforts on human rights issues are obvious. In addition, for the resolution of
human rights issues, Yao Ming, a retired basketball star of the Chinese Olympics team, said in an
interview: “Nothing can be built in one day, and Rome is the same. If it takes time to make progress,
you have to be patient.18 From a philosophical point of view, the whole is composed of parts, and
the functions of the key parts and their changes play a decisive role in the overall function. However,
in the whole of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the human rights part is not a key part. Therefore, in the
process of propagating the Winter Olympics, we must distinguish the functions and functions of the
primary and secondary parts, and do not misplace the key points. Not to mention the issue of human
rights is important, it is a problem that needs to be solved for a long time. Based on the “Olympic
2020 Agenda,” a winter Olympics centered on the three concepts of “athlete-centered, sustainable
development and thrift” is the point.
In fact, the according measures in the face of challenges are the measures taken to build Beijing’s
new international image. How to turn challenges into opportunities is the focus of building a new
international image.
Enlightment on Reconstruction of Beijing’s International Image
In recent years, with the community of human destiny and the concept of eco-economic
symbiosis development, the successful bid for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is not only a good
opportunity to reconstruct Beijing’s international image, but also a common cause of environmental
construction and economic development. The implementation of the concept of symbiosis into the
construction of an international image has two levels of understanding. The first level, from a macro
perspective, combining the construction of Beijing’s international image with the city’s own
construction and development, and integrating the city’s own development into the international
image. These two facts complement each other. On the contrary, the improvement of the
international image affects the development of Beijing. As discussed in this article, Beijing takes the
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as an opportunity to actively respond to domestic and foreign issues
pointed out in its own science and technology, environment, human rights, etc., and use the STA
analysis model to propose corresponding countermeasures to enhance its international image. The
above mentioned measures to solve the challenges encountered in the Beijing Winter Olympics,
namely the concrete measures for the construction of Beijing New Era International Image, the
symbiotic relationship between urban development and international image; the second layer, from
a micro perspective, in order to successfully bid for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Beijing has
encountered a series of environmental, scientific, human rights and other challenges. These
challenges are closely related to Beijing’s own urban construction. Not only during the period of
Olympics, but also in the normal life, the problems of smog, weak innovation, less scientific and
technological achievements, and imperfect domestic human rights related systems, are closely
related to the citizens of Beijing and the Chinese people. To solve these problems, the living
standards of the people in the country can be improved. It is necessary not only to build cities in the
face of the world, but also to pay attention to these issues in peacetime. The large-scale international
competition of the Winter Olympics is usually a double-edged sword. It can not only promote its
own international image to promote economic development, but also expose some problems that are
not normally seen in the world. Taking the Olympic Games as an opportunity to improve the quality
17
Christopher Bodeen. Beijing faces challenges from snow to media freedom ahead of 2022 Olympics. Source：The Associated Press.
https://globalnews.ca/news/2143472/beijing-faces-challenges-from-snow-to-media-freedom-ahead-of-2022-olympics/. Last login time in November
2018.
18
Beijing has won the right to host the 2022 winter Olympics. BBC NEWS.
https://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/world/2015/07/150731_winter_olympics_city. The last login date was November 2018.
122of people's lives is also an important goal. It can be seen that the living standards of the people in
the country and the urban construction are also symbiotic relations.
This paper analyzes the difference between the propaganda of the two Olympic Games in Beijing
and some of the challenges faced by the 2022 Winter Olympic Games by using the STA analysis
model in the proximization theory, and proposes corresponding measures to contribute to the
construction of the international image from the new perspective of discourse analysis. In addition,
as a new method for discourse analysis, the paper also applies it to the analysis of the “Beijing 8
Minutes” video. It can be seen that its utility is not limited to discourse, but in other symbols of
non-discourse. It also has research significance.
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