Representing the ‘Little Fresh Meat’ Phenomenon in the Chinese English-Medium News Media: A Corpus-Assisted Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

In China, the phenomenon of ‘little fresh meat’ has recently sparked a contentious debate. However, few studies have examined the thematic concepts surrounding the phenomenon of ‘little fresh meat’ in the Chinese English-medium news media. In order to fill this gap, this study used corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis to examine how the ‘little fresh meat’ phenomenon has been represented discursively in Chinese English-language news media and observe which stance the media take on this phenomenon. The findings show that four semantic domains, namely, entertainment, education, personal care, as well as gender and sexuality, are inextricably intertwined with the ‘little fresh meat’ phenomenon. The findings also show that patriarchal discourse is prominent, and resistance discourse is only subordinate in the representations. This paper sheds light on debates surrounding the ‘little fresh meat’ phenomenon and demonstrates state gender governance through China’s state media.