TITLE:
A Critical Cognitive Discourse Analysis of Aging Population Reports in China Daily from the Perspective of Proximization
AUTHORS:
Zhengjie Guo, Yipu Kong
KEYWORDS:
Population Aging, Proximization Theory, Critical Cognitive Discourse Analysis, Discursive Construction
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.6,
June
18,
2026
ABSTRACT: China is currently undergoing a demographic transition toward an aging society of unprecedented scale and speed, making this issue a focal point of mainstream media discourse. Based on Cap’s Proximization Theory, this study conducts a critical cognitive discourse analysis (CCDA) of aging-related reports in China Daily to explore how the media cognitively constructs the issue of population aging through spatial, temporal, and axiological dimensions. The findings suggest that in the spatial dimension, the media extensively employs physical displacement metaphors to reify abstract demographic shifts as external entities encroaching upon the “deictic center”, which may position readers to perceive the phenomenon through defense-related cognitive schemas. In the temporal dimension, the discourse is designed to foster a sense of urgency through time-compression strategies. In the axiological dimension, the discourse exhibits a binary dynamic reconstruction; it frames potential crises by highlighting ideological conflicts such as labor shortages and pension pressures, while discursively framing positive concepts like the “silver economy” and “smart elderly care” in a manner that may mitigate public concern and provide a legitimizing basis for policies such as delayed retirement, fertility support, and the industrialization of elderly care. This research indicates how mainstream media seeks to shape the perception of social issues through proximization strategies, providing a new perspective for understanding the cognitive framing mechanisms underlying major demographic challenges.