《爱情、征途、冒险：习近平讲话和中国宏大战略背后的叙事》
Love, quest, adventure: the storytelling behind Xi Jinp…
My new research offers a new way to understand China’s grand strategy through plot devices and overarching narratives.
我的新研究提供了一种通过情节装置和宏观叙事来理解中国宏大战略的新视角。
For many in the West, China still feels hard to fully understand. Public debate and media coverage too often focus on the “China threat”. Critics highlight the flaws of China’s political system and limits on freedom, yet China has still managed to rise as a major power that can now compete with the United States.
对许多西方人来说，中国仍然难以完全理解。公共辩论和媒体报道过于关注“中国威胁”。批评人士强调中国政治体制的缺陷和自由的限制，然而中国仍然成功崛起，成为一个能够与美国竞争的主要大国。
One reason for this gap in understanding is that the media often interprets China through a Western-centric perspective.
造成这种理解差距的一个原因是，媒体经常从西方中心视角来解读中国。
US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, for instance, will be analysed in the West very differently from the way it will be seen in China. Xi’s language will be parsed and scrutinised for couched messages, veiled threats and hidden meanings.
例如，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普本周与中国领导人习近平的峰会，在西方和在中国看到的角度会非常不同。习近平的言辞将被仔细解读和审视，以寻找其中委婉的信息、隐晦的威胁和隐藏的含义。
But analysts may be missing some of the tools China uses to explain and justify its actions.
但分析人士可能忽略了中国用来解释和合理化其行动的某些工具。
My co-authored new research offers a new way to look at China’s grand strategy: by analysing the way the government uses storytelling. My research partners and I are part of a growing group of scholars looking at how geopolitics is becoming a contest of narratives – how states tell stories about themselves and each other.
我合著的新研究提供了一种看待中国大战略的新方式：通过分析政府使用叙事（storytelling）的方式。我的研究伙伴和我属于一个不断壮大的学者群体，研究地缘政治如何成为一场叙事权的竞争——即各国如何讲述关于自身和彼此的故事。
To do this, we studied four major speeches by Xi from 2021–23. We read them as stories and dissected the narratives – as well as the characters and language – to better understand the meaning behind the words.
为此，我们研究了习近平在2021年至2023年期间的四篇重要演讲。我们将这些演讲当作故事来阅读，并解构其中的叙事——以及措辞和语言——以便更好地理解字里行间隐藏的含义。
Why narrative in politics matters
政治叙事为何重要
The use of political narratives by leaders is not new.
领导人使用政治叙事并非新鲜事。
In ancient Athens and Rome, politicians relied on strong public rhetoric to persuade people. Aristotle described three key elements of persuasion in rhetoric: logic (logos) , emotional appeal (pathos) , and the speaker’s credibility (ethos) .
在古雅典和罗马，政客们依靠强有力的公共修辞来说服人们。亚里士多德描述了修辞说服的三个关键要素：逻辑（logos）、情感诉求（pathos）和演讲者的可信度（ethos）。
Modern theorists like Kenneth Burke argue rhetoric creates a sense of shared purpose between leaders and the public, but it can also create division between groups.
肯尼思·伯克等现代理论家认为，修辞营造了领导人和公众之间共同的目标感，但它也可能在群体之间制造分裂。
And communications scholar Michael Kent identifies 20 master “plots” that have been used by storytellers for thousands of years to craft effective narratives. These include: quest, adventure, pursuit, transformation, revenge, sacrifice, discovery and of course love.
通讯学学者迈克尔·肯特（Michael Kent）确定了20个“母情节”，这些情节已被故事讲述者用于数千年，以构建有效的叙事。这些情节包括：寻觅、冒险、追逐、转变、复仇、牺牲、发现，当然还有爱情。
My research partners and I used these plot devices to analyse Xi’s speeches to see how he communicates – and tells stories – about China’s strategies.
我的研究伙伴们和我利用这些情节装置来分析习近平的演讲，以了解他如何传达——以及讲述——关于中国战略的故事。
The plot devices in Xi’s speeches
习近平演讲中的叙事手法
We found several master plots that consistently shape China’s official stories:
我们发现了几种持续塑造中国官方叙事的母题：
Adventure
冒险
In the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary speech in 2021, Xi said:
在2021年中国共产党百年庆典讲话中，习近平说：
To save the nation from peril, the Chinese people put up a courageous fight. As noble-minded patriots sought to pull the nation together.
为了拯救国家免于危险，中国人民进行了英勇的斗争。作为有爱国情怀的爱国人士努力将国家团结起来。
This storyline frames China as a nation on a long journey towards strength and prosperity, marked by setbacks and breakthroughs. This is seen as a type of political adventure. This narrative also appeals to shared memories in China of hardship and endurance.
这个故事线将中国描绘成一个在挫折与突破中，迈向强大和繁荣的漫长旅程的国家。这被视为一种政治冒险。这种叙事也诉诸于中国人民共同的艰辛和坚韧的记忆。
Quest
征程
Xi’s speeches also described a quest – the nation’s striving towards a difficult goal, under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) .
习近平的讲话还描述了一种征程——在中国共产党（中共）的领导下，国家为实现一个艰巨目标而努力的过程。
In Xi’s 20th Party Congress report in 2022, he said:
在2022年中共二十大报告中，他说：
There has never been an instruction manual or ready-made solution for the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to turn to […] as they moved on toward the bright future of rejuvenation.
中国人民和中华民族从未有过可以参考的说明书或现成的解决方案 […] 迈向复兴的美好未来。
The message is intended to inspire unity, patriotism and pride among Chinese listeners.
这条信息旨在激励中国听众的团结、爱国心和自豪感。
Transformation
转型
In his 14th National People’s Congress speech in 2023, Xi said:
在2023年第十四届全国人民代表大会上的讲话中，习近平说：
The Chinese nation has achieved the great transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and China’s national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability.
中国民族已经实现了从站起来、富起来到强起来的伟大飞跃，中国民族的伟大复兴已成为历史的必然。
Transformation stories describe not just change, but growth and renewal. This narrative presents China’s rise as a natural evolution built on decades of reform and sacrifice.
转型故事描述的不仅是变化，更是成长和更新。这种叙事将中国的崛起描绘成建立在几十年改革和牺牲基础上的自然演变。
Rivalry
对抗
Rivalry stories tend to feature internal and external threats.
对抗故事往往涉及内部和外部的威胁。
In two of the speeches we studied, Xi refers to efforts by foreign powers to “blackmail, contain, blockade, and exert maximum pressure on China,” and recalls a past when foreign bullying caused “great suffering”.
在我们研究的两次讲话中，习近平提到了外国势力试图“勒索、遏制、封锁和对中国施加最大压力”的努力，并回忆了过去外国霸凌造成“巨大痛苦”的经历。
In the CCP’s 100th anniversary speech, Xi also said:
在中共百年庆典讲话中，习近平还说：
Anyone who would attempt to do so will find themselves on a collision course with a great wall of steel forged by over 1.4 billion Chinese people.
任何试图这样做的人，都将与由超过14亿中国人民铸成的钢铁长城相撞。
These storylines reinforce the idea that China must remain vigilant and united against outside pressure.
这些故事线强化了中国必须对外部压力保持警惕和团结的理念。
Love
奉献
Xi doesn’t refer to a romantic-type of love story in his speeches; rather, he speaks of the dedication and loyalty of the Communist Party’s supporters.
习近平的讲话中没有提到浪漫意义上的爱情故事；相反，他谈论的是共产党支持者的奉献和忠诚。
In the 100th anniversary speech, for instance, Xi said:
例如，在百年庆典讲话中，习近平说：
And I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to people and friends from around the world who have shown friendship to the Chinese people and understanding and support for China’s endeavours in revolution, development and reform.
我谨向世界各地所有对中国人民表示友谊，并对中国在革命、发展和改革方面的努力表示理解和支持的人们和朋友们，表达我最诚挚的谢意。
How audiences see these messages
受众如何看待这些信息
The impact of this messaging is strong at home. It’s often reinforced through state media, cultural products and patriotic education to reach as wide an audience as possible.
这种宣传在国内影响巨大。它经常通过国家媒体、文化产品和爱国主义教育得到强化，以触及尽可能广泛的受众。
The frequent contrast between past suffering and present strength encourages the public to see China as a peaceful but firm global actor.
过去苦难与现在力量之间的频繁对比，鼓励公众将中国视为一个和平但坚定的全球参与者。
For a foreign audience, this storytelling can help other countries interpret China’s actions and anticipate its responses.
对于外国受众而言，这种叙事有助于其他国家解读中国的行动并预测其反应。
For example, China’s narratives about past humiliation and the need to defend its sovereignty help explain its strong stance on Taiwan – and the Communist Party’s legitimacy on this issue in the eyes of the people.
例如，中国关于过去屈辱和捍卫主权需求的叙事，有助于解释其在台湾问题上的强硬立场——以及在人民眼中的中国共产党的合法性。
But this does not mean a military conflict is inevitable. Any future military action over Taiwan would depend on a multitude of factors, including careful calculations of risk, China’s economic interdependence with the world, and the potentially catastrophic consequences for the region and its people.
但这并不意味着军事冲突是不可避免的。任何未来关于台湾的军事行动都将取决于多种因素，包括对风险的仔细计算、中国与世界的经济相互依赖性，以及对该地区和人民可能造成的灾难性后果。
This cannot be easily conveyed in storytelling, which is why we can’t rely on this device alone to explain China’s actions. But it does give us a window into leadership’s thinking – and in a political system like China’s, this is vital.
这些内容无法通过叙事轻易传达，这就是我们不能仅依靠这种手段来解释中国行动的原因。但它确实让我们得以窥见领导层的思维——而在像中国这样的政治体制中，这一点至关重要。
The author would like to acknowledge her co-researchers on the project: Mitchell Hobbs of the University of Sydney (project lead) , and Zhao Alexandre Huang and Lucile Desmoulins of Gustave Eiffel University, France.
作者谨向项目合作研究人员致谢：来自悉尼大学的 Mitchell Hobbs（项目负责人），以及来自法国古斯塔夫·埃菲尔大学的 Zhao Alexandre Huang 和 Lucile Desmoulins。
This piece is based on the author’s contribution to a research project funded by the Australia-France Social Science Collaborative Research Program from the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
本文基于作者为澳大利亚社会科学院资助的“澳法社会科学合作研究计划”项目所做的贡献。
