Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 2011

Visualizing Banking and Financial Products: A Comparative Study of Chinese and American Practices

Han Yu Kansas State University

Abstract

This study examines the visual rhetoric used in Chinese and American promotional business communication. Comparing banking and financial product brochures published in the two countries, the study finds similar as well as different visual strategies. Most importantly, the Chinese samples frequently use visual metaphors, whereas the American samples hardly do. Prompted by this finding, I review relevant literature on visual metaphors and examine their structures and rhetorical functions. In addition, the study suggests that buyer images and cartoon images are used differently in the two countries, whereas product-related images are used similarly. I explore the contextual and cultural roots of these findings and offer suggestions on how to visually communicate with the Chinese audience and other international audiences.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2011-07-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.41.3.e
Open Access
Closed
Topics
multimodality multilingual writers

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (3)

  1. Li et al. (2021)
    Getting the Picture: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Chinese and Western Users’ …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. King et al. (2018)
    Artifactual dimensions of visual rhetoric: what a content analysis of 114 peer-…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  3. King et al. (2018)
    Artifactual Dimensions of Visual Rhetoric: What a Content Analysis of 114 Peer-…
    Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (14)

  1. Cross (2009)
    Presenting Consumer Technology with Pop: A Rhetorical and Ethnographic Explorat…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Yu (2008)
    Contextualize Technical Writing Assessment to Better Prepare Students for Workp…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Ross (2008)
    Dam Visuals: The Changing Visual Argument for the Glen Canyon Dam
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Johnson-Sheehan et al. (2008)
    Darwin's Dilemma: Science in the Public Forum
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Brumberger (2007)
    Visual Communication in the Workplace: A Survey of Practice
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Show all 14 →
  1. Kimball (2006)
    London through Rose-Colored Graphics: Visual Rhetoric and Information Graphic D…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. Journet (2005)
    Metapahor, Ambiguity, and Motive in Evolutionary Biology
    Written Communication
  3. Brasseur (2005)
    Florence Nightingale's Visual Rhetoric in the Rose Diagrams
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  4. Willerton (2005)
    Visual Metonymy and Synecdoche: Rhetoric for Stage-Setting Images
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  5. Ding (2003)
    The Emergence of Technical Communication in China—Yi Jing (I Ching)
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  6. Rosner (2001)
    Theories of Visual Rhetoric: Looking at the Human Genome
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  7. Johnson-Sheehan (1997)
    The Emergence of a Root Metaphor in Modern Physics: Max Planck's ‘Quantum’ Metaphor
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  8. Mulder (1996)
    Perception of Anthropomorphistic Expressions in Software Manuals
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  9. Thrush (1993)
    Bridging the gaps: Technical communication in an international and multicultura…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
Also cites 16 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.1109/47.475591
     ↗
  2. 10.1111/j.1468-2478.2007.00439.x
     ↗
  3. 10.1109/47.650003
     ↗
  4. 10.2190/ETRC11
     ↗
  5. 10.1086/209256
     ↗
  6. 10.1353/lib.2006.0053
     ↗
  7. 10.1177/1470593104044089
     ↗
  8. 10.1080/15295039009360162
     ↗
  9. 10.1111/1468-0297.00494
     ↗
  10. 10.1080/00913367.2003.10639047
     ↗
  11. 10.1080/02650487.1994.11104570
     ↗
  12. 10.1080/00913367.1988.10673128
     ↗
  13. 10.1509/jppm.19.2.189.17135
     ↗
  14. 10.2753/JOA0091-3367370406
     ↗
  15. Zhang X. and Liao J., China's Cartoon Book Industry Enters Full Development, http://news.xinhuanet.com/newsce…
     ↗
  16. 10.1109/TPC.2010.2046087
     ↗
CrossRef global citation count: 6 View in citation network →

Related Articles

  1. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    What Video Games Can Tell Us About Interactive Technical Communication ↗
    Emily Kuzneski Johnson
    multimodality technical communication multilingual writers
  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Apr 2026
    “Is This Ethical?” New Data on the Ethical Principles and Practices of Document Design ↗
    Leslie Seawright; Amy Hodges; Timothy Ponce
    multimodality technical communication disability studies multilingual writers
  3. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026
    “It's Hard to Show ROI When You’re Preventing Things from Happening”: How Impact Storytelling Frames Community Health Initiatives for Executive Audiences ↗
    Margaret Hsiao
    qualitative research multimodality technical communication professional writing multilingual writers
  4. Written Communication Feb 2026
    Reading Medium and Communicative Purpose in Writing: Effects on Pausing Behaviour and Text Quality, Controlling for Reading Comprehension and Executive Functions ↗
    Ángel Valenzuela; Cristian A. Rojas-Barahona; Ramón D. Castillo; Ladislao Salmerón
    assessment curriculum design multimodality multilingual writers revision
  5. Literacy in Composition Studies Feb 2026
    All Are Connected: From Traditional Chinese Medicine to Students’ Literacy Practices Reviewing Doing Difference Differently: Chinese International Students’ Literacy Practices and Affordances by Zhaozhe Wang ↗
    Shi, Carina Jiaxing
    multimodality multilingual writers