Research on Image of Beijing Based on Calculation of Semantic Prosody Strength—Take Reports on the Work of the Government (2021-2025) of Beijing as Examples

Abstract

A city’s projected image, particularly as articulated in official discourse, is a critical component of its public communication. This study examines the self-shaped image of Beijing by analyzing the official English Reports on the Work of the Government from 2021 to 2025 (59,916 tokens; 655 concordance lines of “beijing”). Using a corpus-based approach, we applied the syuzhet sentiment analysis algorithm to measure semantic prosody strength and conducted analysis of variance (ANOVA) to test for significant differences across six thematic categories. The findings reveal that while topics such as macro-level development and positioning appear most frequently, they tend to be described with a more neutral or moderate sentiment. In contrast, discussions related to citizen welfare, social services, and cultural development, though less frequent, are characterized by distinctly positive sentiment. These results indicate that the official reports construct an image of Beijing as a capable leader, an innovative center, and a caring and livable city. This research possesses significant theoretical and practical value. It demonstrates the utility of quantitative semantic prosody analysis for uncovering the city image in official policy discourse, providing a useful reference for future studies in city image construction.