The Thematic Distribution and Urban Image Construction of Guangzhou in the Late Qing Dynasty by The Chinese Repository

Between 1832 and 1851, The Chinese Repository, an encyclopedia-style English periodical founded by foreigners in Guangzhou, became the primary conduit for Westerners to understand China surrounding the Opium Wars.The coverage and narrative regarding Guangzhou shaped a distinctive urban image in the minds of Europeans during the 17th and 18th centuries, even serving as a microcosm of overseas Chinese imagery.The Chinese Repository documented various activities between China and Britain during the Opium Wars, including trade, military and diplomatic affairs, missionary work, the introduction of Western learning, and the translation of traditional Chinese culture.These records were distributed across more than a thousand articles spanning 30 different themes.Clarifying the thematic distribution patterns of Guangzhou reporting and analyzing the narrative and reporting methods used to construct the image of Guangzhou can provide historical and theoretical references for in-depth research into The Chinese Repository and cultural exchanges between China and the West in the first half of the 19th century.Ultimately, the research can advance innovation in the pathway of China's cultural globalization.