| Following the death of its top leader Mao Zedong in 1976, the Chinese Communist Party decided to implement policies of economic reform and opening to the West in 1978 in the nation-wide efforts to modernize China. Attempting to develop a market economy while upholding Marxist ideologies, the Party continued the tradition of model emulation to promote its new radical agendas.; Informed by Kenneth Burke's concept of identification in persuasion, this dissertation examines the official role models in the most important Party newspaper, the People's Daily, and the most important youth magazine, Chinese Youth, in the post-Mao reform era. The dissertation argues the central thesis that the changing images of model Chinese played political, economic, and moral-educational functions to promote the Party's reform policies in post-Mao China and to prescribe ideal behavior for Chinese citizens. The models consisted of youth, intellectuals, enterprise reformers, self-employed entrepreneurs, and peasants. The models were further divided into two major categories: socialist role models who exhibited primarily socialist qualities of altruism and sacrifice in public interest, and reform role models who were defined by their courage and entrepreneurship to engage in the market economy.; This study demonstrates the importance of rhetorical analyses of Chinese media messages as an integral part of the Chinese political communication and ideological control. Role models at the national level symbolized the highest Party ideal and identifying with them meant supporting the Party in all its endeavors. Models were designed to serve as a key link between the top leadership in China and ordinary Chinese and an instrument for encouraging market reform while perpetuating socialist principles.; The study also reveals the problems of model emulation, the dilemmas facing socialist role models and their tense interpersonal relationships with their peers. The further development of the market economy and the promotion of model entrepreneurs could potentially erode or undermine the socialist principles and the impact of education by socialist role models. |
