Corpus-assisted Critical Discourse Analysis of Female Image Construction in China Daily: A Case Study of Reports on Female Astronaut Wang Yaping

The image of Chinese women in official media is a crucial component of China's national image. The story of Wang Yaping, an outstanding female astronaut, is widely promoted worldwide, influencing foreign perceptions of the country. Using Fairclough's Three-dimensional Model as a guiding framework, this study analyzes how China Daily constructs Wang's image. The study yields three major findings: (1) China Daily depict Wang as a space hero to China, a female role model and a knowledge disseminator, linking her personal achievements to national development and emphasizing her qualities such as persistence and approachability; (2) the newspaper balances the authenticity and vividness, provides properly detailed and concise reports and demonstrates objective and immersive narrative of Wang's story; (3) Wang's image combines the people's aspirations and social mainstream values, encourages women to pursue higher achievements and creates a positive international image for China. This study may investigate a new perspective to the field of female image research in China.