"Mainstream Media" As A Concept:Taking The "New Media"as A Reference, And The Full Text Database Of People’s Daily As The Main Data Source

"Mainstream media" is now becoming the basic word commonly used in the Chinese academia and industry of mass communication, but without a unified meaning. Therefore, in different contexts, its meanings are not the same. In this paper, the "semantic" will be observed by reading the text, which reveal that they rely on the context and why "mainstream media" means "high context". This is not only the core research question but also the basic clues of conducting investigation.According to the Database of People’s Daily, the general conclusion is:in mainland China,"mainstream media" is especially expressed by officials and central level media. The "mainstream media" began to be used in the mid1990s when it is used to refer to foreign media, especially the traditional media of Western powers. After entering the new century, its use has gradually extended to self referential. And this trend with the rise of new media, as well as the frequently used "new media" show significant relationships. In mainland China, the concept of "mainstream media" to some extent is constantly stressed and spread with the "new media".There are three significance of this research. First of all, concerning about the research subject, studying the relationship between the "mainstream media" and "new media" can display the overall evolution of the concept of media from the perspective of relationships and comb the path leading to the current concept of media. Secondly, from the practical point of view, the research will contribute to the betterment of how to play the role of mainstream media. Finally, from the research methods, the method of "concept history" is an innovation in the research.