Cultural Symbols And Cultural Values Reflected In Chinese Print Ads From 1979 To 2008

In this article, the author has researched the change of cultural symbols and cultural values in Chinese Print Ads from 1979 to 2008, to study two questions: the development of consumerism in China, and the survival condition of Chinese traditional culture at the background of west culture impact. Because consumerism is reflected in consumption structure, the change of product categories of advertising goods has been discussed briefly here. Two media have been researched in this paper; one is Xinmin Evening News, which is from Shanghai, and the other is Shizhuang Magazine from Beijing.The content of this paper is around four aspects: 1. The reflection and change of Chinese-style cultural symbols and western-style cultural symbols. 2. The reflection and change of Chinese traditional cultural values and western cultural values. 3. The reflection and change of utilitarian cultural values and symbolic cultural values. 4. Why did all these changes happen, and what is the meaning of them? Content Analysis was used to study the first three questions. After describing the samples with data, the author discussed the fourth question at the background of Chinese society, politics, economy, and culture, explained the change of cultural symbols and cultural values in Chinese Print Ads.It was found that there is close relation between the change of product categories of advertising goods in Chinese print ads and consumption revolution. There are three trends about the change of product categories: form producers' goods to consumers' goods; from cheap commodities to expensive durable goods; from consumables for dressing warmly and earring one's fill to those for developing and enjoying.The author identified four utilitarian and three symbolic cultural values that dominate Chinese print ads; the utilitarian ones are quality, economy, uniqueness and effectiveness, and the symbolic ones are social status, emotion, and beauty. Utilitarian cultural values are used less and less and symbolic ones more and more, because of the transformation from survival to living. On the development of consumerism, the total current is that Chinese consumption market is becoming a slap-up, development and enjoyment one, but there is difference between the masses and the middle class. The masses are striding forward to consumerism gulf, but the consumerism life style is not shaped yet. At the early time of 1980s, the middle class cheered up for the consumerism life style which dominates their living today.The author also found four Chinese and three west cultural values that dominate Chinese print ads; the Chinese ones are tradition, social status, emotion and oneness with the nature, and the west ones are competition, modernity, and sex. Combining the Chinese and western cultural symbols with the Chinese and western cultural values, the author found that the Chinese and western cultural elements are used more and more in Xinmin Evening News ads. Chinese cultural elements are always more than western ones and increase more quickly. The gap between Chinese cultural elements and western ones is enlarging. There is a different result about Shizhuang Magzine. Many Chinese and western cultural elements were used in Shizhuang Magzine ads, and the Chinese ones are used less and less, the western ones more and more. Today, western cultural elements are about 5 times more than Chinese ones. On the survival condition of Chinese traditional culture, the masses love Chinese traditional culture very much, and it still attracts them deeply. But west culture is becoming more popular among them too. The middle class of China is crazy about west culture, which is dominating their life.About the two questions of the development of consumerism in China and the survival condition of Chinese traditional culture, the author thinks the answer is different considering different stratum. At the end of the paper, the author says that the expanding of consumerism and the crisis of traditional culture is two aspects of one question, which is commercial culture overdeveloping.