THE LINGUOCULTUROLOGICAL FIELD OF THE IMAGE OF CHINA IN RUSSIAN- CHINESE OFFICIAL POLITICAL DISCOURSE: FORMULAIC EXPRESSIONS AS LINGUISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF LINGUOCULTUREMES

Abstract

The article examines the construction of the image of China from a linguocultural perspective, drawing on eight Russian-language official political documents jointly issued by Russia and China between 1996 and 2026. In reconstructing the linguocultural field of this image, fixed formulas are treated as linguistic representations of linguoculturemes. The study shows that the distribution of these formulas across the zones of the field depends on their reproducibility, the preservation of a semantic invariant, and their degree of contextual dependence. The core of the field is formed by a linguocultureme represented by the formula “strategic partnership” and its variants. Comparison of documents from different years reveals changes in form: the formulas acquire additional components, and new forms of linguistic realization emerge. These changes do not alter the linguocultural content associated with the formula. In the central zone, particular features of the image are conveyed through spatial and temporal metaphors, negative constructions, and morphemes expressing reciprocity. The peripheral zone is organized differently. Some formulas occur only as part of a longer designation, whereas others are introduced through source attribution or an explanation of their content. In the corpus examined, the image of China emerges as a system of formulas that differ in their degree of autonomy and in the way they are incorporated into official texts.