| The national image of a country,particularly in terms of soft power,has a direct impact on the role and status of that country in international relations.In recent years,China's increasing economic,social,cultural,scientific and technological strength have not only contributed to the development of other parts of the world,but has also influenced the language used by people in daily life around the world to a certain extent.The impact of China's international communications on China's national image,especially in terms of the Chinese language and culture,has not only drawn the widespread attention of news media in China and abroad,but has also drawn widespread attention and enthusiastic responses from vast masses of people all over the world.Thailand is a typical country with "Chinese language fever".As China and Thailand have developed increasingly close economic and trade exchanges,China has gradually begun to play a role in the labor market at all levels in Thailand.More Thai people have begun to recognize the importance of learning Chinese,thus learning Chinese has become a popular trend in recent years.In the information age,people often understand their society and the surrounding world through various mediums such as online content and traditional mass media.By watching videos or reading texts,people can understand the changes that have taken place in the world outside their own personal experiences and thus build a psychological connection with the outside world.Moreover,with the deepening of friendly relations between China and Thailand,Thai media coverage of China has increased and the spread of Chinese in Thailand continues.However,mass media,including content published on the Internet,are sometimes not completely objective,but rather subjective in nature.This subjectivity results from the unbalanced and unequal flow of information which contributes to errors in the understanding of objective reality.Undoubtedly,the importance of China's national image in spreading the use of the Chinese language in Thailand has become increasingly prominent.In this study,I use the methods of macro-systematic analysis,quantitative-qualitative combination,questionnaire,comparative analysis,case-study investigation and interviews to analyze the Thai people's understanding of China's national image in the field of Chinese education and cognitive research.Through reviewing the relevant history of Chinese language education in Thailand,establishing the general situation and existing problems of Chinese communication in Thailand as well as the factors influencing China's national image in Thailand,this paper explores the role of the spread of the Chinese language in Thailand on China's national image in the country.Firstly,in order to understand the relationship between the spread of Chinese language and the Chinese national image,an empirical study based on a questionnaire survey has been conducted and will be analyzed throughout this paper.The survey is divided into three groups:Thai high school students,college students and various occupational groups.Three high schools provided respondents for the survey:Rayong Witthaya Middle School,the Affiliate High Schools of Silpakorn University and the Prasarnmit Affiliate High Schools of Srinakharinwirot University.Three universities provided respondents:Srinakharinwirot University,Burapha University and Chandrakasem Rajabhat University.Through establishing the correlation between each group of Thai people and their cognition of China's national image,I attempt to reveal the understanding and cognition of the overall image of the Chinese nation by Thai nationals.Furthermore,an in-depth analysis of the individual factors and the Chinese language learning factors influencing China's national image has been conducted through data processing.Through analyzing Thai nationals' cognition of China's national image,I have found that there is a clear "four positive,three negative" phenomenon in Thai people's cognition of China's national image.There are also differences in perceptions of the Chinese national image among different groups of Thai people.Thai's of Chinese descent and people with occupations relating to China have a higher degree of recognition of China's national image.There is a notable correlation between possessing an impression of China and studying Chinese,or having been to China.Finally,internet access,education attainment and engagement with Chinese nationals are the most important indicators of a Thai person's understanding of China.Through the above analysis,we can gain some insight into the phenomenon:Firstly,the Thai people are optimistic about China's future development;Secondly,China's economy,culture and national image are important factors for enhancing the image of China in Thailand;Thirdly,impressions of Chinese products,sanitation and the nation itself can expect improvement;Fourthly,Chinese language education can play an important role in enhancing China's national image in Thailand.Furthermore,in order to broaden the depth of this research,I have further explored Chinese langauge learners' perceptions of China's national image and identify the key elements of their understandings.Based on the results of the above systematic analysis,I have selected students from Trimit Middle School as well as Thammasat University third and fourth-year students majoring in Chinese as typical case studies.Through these case studies,I engage in an in-depth discussion on the factors affecting the cognition of Chinese national image and the systemic components of Chinese language education.I then summarize the correlation between the spread of the Chinese language and Chinese national image.Issues and challenges in the dissemination of China's national image through Chinese language education in Thailand are explored.Upon presenting these findings,relevant theories and principles of Chinese language communication and China's national image perception in Thailand are proposed.Then,the methods and strategies for improving Chinese national image through Chinese language education in Thailand are examined based on these theories and principles.The survey results show that the 3 elements in Chinese teaching,namely,the teacher,teaching materials and teaching methods are all related to Thai Chinese learners' impressions of China's national image.First,Chinese teaching is of great significance to the formation of Thai learners' attitudes toward China's national image.Second,the positive image of the Chinese state is conducive to raising the demand for learning Chinese in Thailand.Third,Thai learners at different stages of learning have slightly different attitudes toward China's national image.Fourth,Chinese teachers are a key factor in the formation of Thai Chinese learners'attitudes toward China's national image.Fifth,the relationship between the content of teaching materials in Chinese textbooks and the shaping of China's national image remains to be explored.Sixth,there is a correlation between Chinese teaching method and Thai Chinese learner's attitudes toward China's national image.The above analysis has given rise to some reflections on the shaping of China's national image in Thailand.Firstly,the government should be given priority to strengthen the image of China in Thailand.Secondly,multi-channel means of communication should be explored further.Thirdly,the internet should be used to strengthen China's national image in new media communication.Fourthly,reporting on major events can improve China's national image.Finally,the spread of Chinese language and culture can serve to shape the Chinese national image in Thailand.In addition,I also put forward several practical strategies which are beneficial to the improvement of the Chinese national image and for the future propagation of Chinese language in Thailand.First,to continually improve the quality of teachers of Chinese as a foreign language and train them to represent China.Second,to pay attention to the composition of textbooks for Chinese language learning that help to shape China's national image.Third,to implement the leading role of classroom teaching in establishing a good impression of China's national image.Fourth,to actively promote the Confucius Institute's establishment of China's national image in Thailand. |
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