Crafting fantasies of dominance: visual framing of Chinese and US leaders in China Pictorial from 1950 to 2021

This study conducts visual content and framing analysis to compare the images of Chinese and US leaders in China Pictorial ( N = 153). Drawing from the images that juxtaposed US and Chinese leaders, the author aims to examine how the ‘fantasy’ of US–China power dynamics is visually crafted by Chinese party-controlled media across three Chinese political eras, spanning from 1950 to 2021. In Mao’s era, China was visualized as resisting US dominance; China appeared to be making advances in global politics in Deng’s era; and under Xi, China was depicted as a courteous great power distinct from the US. These shifting fantasy themes coalesce to craft a rhetorical vision of China as a humble great power challenging and potentially eclipsing US hegemony. This article advances visual political communication by illustrating China’s constructed state power through media, challenging US-centric narratives and tracing the historical shifts in perceived Sino–US power dynamics.