The Chinese imagery and Chinese image in The Painted Veil from the perspective of visual rhetoric
从视觉修辞角度看《面纱》中的中国意象和中国形象

摘要

本文以2006年版电影《面纱》为对象，从视觉修辞理论出发，结合东方主义视角，分析影片借助视觉符号及隐喻手法对中国意象和形象的构建。通过文献分析和案例研究，本文发现影片通过自然景观意象和人文景观意象构建中国意象，自然景观被塑造成原始力量的象征且呈二元分裂，人文景观及道具符号强化了西方对中国的刻板印象；在构建中国形象方面，对满族格格等角色的刻画存在刻板印象，而于上校和吴医生形象相对立体，群体形象则体现西方对中国的刻板认知；同时，影片运用空间布局、画面构图等视觉符号组合进行隐喻，暗含西方的文化优越感。《面纱》构建的中国意象和形象存在简化和异化，受西方文化霸权影响有双重矛盾性。本文旨在探究西方影视作品如何通过视觉修辞构建中国意象及形象，为跨文化传播中中国形象的优化表达提供思路。

Abstract

This paper, aims to explore how Western film and television works construct Chinese imagery and image through visual rhetoric, and provide ideas for the optimal expression of Chinese image in cross-cultural communication. Taking the 2006 version of the film The Painted Veil as the object, the study analyzes the construction of Chinese imagery and image with the help of visual symbols and metaphors from the perspective of visual rhetoric theory and Orientalist criticism. Through literature analysis and case studies, it is found that the film constructs Chinese imagery through natural and cultural landscape imagery, and the natural landscape is shaped as a symbol of primitive power and is divided into binary divisions, and the cultural landscape and prop symbols reinforce Western stereotypes about China. In terms of constructing the image of China, there are stereotypes in the portrayal of characters such as Manchu Gege (Wanxi), the images of Colonel Yu and Dr. Wu are relatively three-dimensional, and the group images reflect the stereotypical cognition of the West; At the same time, the film uses a combination of visual symbols such as spatial layout and picture composition as metaphors, implying Western cultural superiority. This study is helpful to understand the strategy of Western films to shape the image of China, and to provide reference for the construction of Chinese image in cross-cultural communication.