Construction of the Working Class Image in the Early Years of the People’s Republic of China: A Study based on People’s Daily (1949–1956)

Abstract

In the early period of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in response to the Party’s strategic shift in work focus, the need to consolidate the leading position of the working class, and the stigmatization of the working class in international public opinion, People’s Daily systematically constructed a multi-dimensional representation of the working class through structured news reporting. From three interrelated dimensions-its class foundation, its role in national leadership, and its international responsibility-the working class was represented as “the solid class foundation of the Party,” “the leading force in national construction,” and “the vanguard of the international proletariat.”This process of image construction not only promoted the social dissemination of mainstream ideology and strengthened the working class’s status as the masters of the country, but also effectively stimulated its enthusiasm for production. It provided important support for social integration and national construction in the early years of the PRC, and accumulated valuable experience for the construction of the working class image in contemporary Party newspapers.