Between Science And Culture:A Research On The Image Presentation Of TCM In China's Health TV Shows

With the increasing awareness of public health,health TV shows have gained much popularity in recent years.The prevalence of health TV shows are strongly driven by economic market demand and actively supported by national policies.It is obvious to see that dozes of traditional Chinese medicine(hereafter referred as TCM)in TV shows often presents the double images,that is,on the one hand,it is presented in a scientific image;on the other hand,it is presented in a cultural image.However,some doubt have been raised that what kind of connotation do these dual images have and whether it has any potential internal conflicts.These issues remain to be fundamentally explored.Based on this,this thesis takes “Chinese Medicine” column of CCTV as a typical case,and uses text analysis method to specifically discuss what kind of scientific and cultural images the column presents to TCM,and what presentation strategies they adopt accordingly,especially to explore the logic behind such setting and possible conflicts.The research finds that,this column sets TCM as a science that is compatible with and equal to western medicine,showing that it can be inclusive,equivalent and even superior to western medicine in some aspects on the one hand.On the other hand,the show sets TCM as a traditional culture,and regards it as “ancient wisdom of curing diseases”,“essence of Chinese traditional culture” and“excellent representative of Chinese culture”.The scientific image is fully developed by means of specialized narration,heroic narration and popular narration,while the cultural image is fully deduced by means of daily life narration,ritual narration and nationalization narration.Seemingly,the show aims to bring out the best in the treatment of TCM with double images,but the fundamental difference in presentation the logic(tension)between different images brings about three potential conflicts,namely,the conflict between individual experience and general consensus,the conflict between cultural and historical experience and scientific positivity,and the conflict between nationalist sentiment and scientific value neutrality.In other words,the column portrays TCM as an intermediate image between science and culture,and there is a logical(tension)between the two images presented by the column.It is this conflict tension that would hinders the public's real understanding of the scientific nature of TCM to a certain extent and is ultimately adverse to the improvement of public scientific literacy.This thesis believes that for TV media,it is indispensable to spread science and inherit culture.However,if TCM is integrated with science and culture,consideration should be given to whether the image to be presented can be compatible with the scientific and cultural characteristics of TCM,or whether it can be accepted by the public.When the TV media emphasizes TCM as a science,it is necessary to understand that it must have its own(pharmacological)logic,which inevitably conflicts with a culture that highlights its own mystery and various value judgments.Perhaps it is for this reason that TCM is often in an awkward situation of suffering from a scientific or cultural identity dispute.Furthermore,the TV media should reflect on whether the logic presented is appropriate for the spread of TCM,and then consider how to integrate science and culture into TCM in a more harmonious way,which is not only beneficial to the spread of TCM,but also beneficial to the promotion of scientific and cultural literacy of the public.This is also the important social responsibility that TV media should play.