From Words to World: Attitudinal Appraisal Analysis of China's Anhui Provincial Tourism Branding on TikTok

Shuangyan Du; Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong; Xiaoli Dong

doi:10.22515/ljbs.v11i1.12795

Authors

Shuangyan Du Fuyang Normal University
Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong Universiti Malaya https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1674-5763
Xiaoli Dong Fuyang Normal University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22515/ljbs.v11i1.12795

Keywords:

appraisal theory, corpus-assisted analysis, emerging destinations branding, TikTok, tourism discourse analysis

Abstract

Digital media has opened new avenues for emerging destinations to shape tourist perceptions by projecting their tourism imaginaries to global audiences. However, there is a lack of study on how tourism imaginaries are constructed through attitudinal resources, especially in the context of emerging destinations. Therefore, this study examines the discursive construction of tourism imaginaries in Anhui Province, China, through its official TikTok promotions. A corpus of 203 videos was compiled, and the verbal elements were analyzed using corpus-assisted discourse and semantic analysis. Anhui’s tourism imaginaries and the attitudinal resources based on the attitude subsystem of Appraisal Theory were identified. The evaluative meanings embedded in these imaginaries were then examined through qualitative discourse analysis. The findings show that Anhui mainly uses ‘appreciation’ and ‘affect’ resources to construct positive tourism imaginaries, which include majestic natural scenery, timeless elegance, vibrant cultural festivals, exquisite cuisine, and dynamic urban life. This study suggests that the attitude system offers a useful lens for examining the verbal construction of tourism imaginaries in digital promotional contexts and demonstrates how evaluative language can be strategically used to elevate destination branding and enhance global visibility.

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Author Biography

Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong, Universiti Malaya

Cecilia Yin Mei Cheong (PhD) is an Associate Professor in the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. Her research interests include English for Specific Purposes, (Critical) Genre Analysis, Multimodality, and Professional Discourses. She is the vice president of the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics (MAAL), which is affiliated with the International Association of Applied Linguistics (AILA), and Editor-in-Chief of the Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (MELTA)’s The English Teacher journal. Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1674-5763

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