Visual Discourse in China’s Child Charity Promotions: An Examination of Semiotic Resources

This study employs the visual social semiotic approach to examine the current fundraising images used by online platforms by China’s governmental charity organization, specifically the China Youth Development Foundation. The findings show that three major discourses, namely, happiness, poverty, and a ritualized discourse of gratitude, are commonly employed in these charitable images. The happy donation recipients, depicted with an offering gaze, from a far personal distance, and with high modality, emerge as the most favored represented participants. These charity images function not only as persuasive tools for fundraising but also as platforms for political discourse in China.