Abstract:

Based on Boulding’s theoretical framework of image theory and information collected through a questionnaire, this paper explores German high school students’image of China, including what the image is like, how the image is constructed and what role school education plays in the construction of this image. Results show that German high school students have clear geographic, physical and psychological images of China. The main factors that influence their construction of China’s image are first and foremost formal school education and then mass media. Other factors are rarely mentioned by students in the survey. The results also show that German high school students have mismatched image of China due to historical and psychological reasons. We believe that in the construction of China’s image, particularly among young people in other countries, attention should be focused on formal school education, especially course material development and classroom teaching. In addition, more approaches should be taken in order to present a true, multidimensional and panoramic view of China to the world. Relevant suggestions were presented at the end of the article.

Key words: Germany senior high school students, China’s image, national image theory, textbook, construction of national image