Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

From Challengers to Contributors: A Peircean Semiotic Model of Chinese Sports Stars' Evolving Media Image in German Media

Yichang ZhouBeijing Foreign Studies University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Before, Chinese sports stars often chose to go overseas for training after succeeding domestically in order to advance their skills. In contrast, the entry that the world-class athlete Fan Zhendong made into Europe's high-level competitive arena demonstrates a distinctive cross-cultural value and reflects a shift in Chinese athletes' overseas engagement model. By employing Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic framework, this study conducts a quantitative analysis of German media reports and fan comments by explaining Fan Zhendong's participation in the Bundesliga. This approach connects the "encoding" side by the media and the "decoding" side by the audiences to analyze the construction of his cross-cultural media identity. The findings show that the German media construct the image of Fan Zhendong through a combination of global and local frames. The audience sentiment generally aligns with media narratives but shows greater diversity. These findings signal a shift in the overseas method of Chinese sports stars—from a "challenger" to a "contributor". This shift underscores that meaning is not fixed by media representation but negotiated through evolving audience interpretation. As a result, to make the cross-cultural communication more effective, this study must transcend one-way messaging, prioritize interactive meaning-making, locally resonant narratives, and symbols that encourage sustained engagement.

Keywords: Media Framing; Communication Semiotics; Transnational Sport; Chinese Athletes; Audience Reception
Published: May 11, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.33385
Volume: CHR Vol.107
pp. 143-154
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