Contemporary Chinese perceptions of top-level sport and its role in rise of China

& KEYWORDS The topic of this thesis is a metatextual analysis of representative Chinese publications about sport published in the post-Olympic era. Together they offer a comprehensive perspective of the sport in China. The thesis employs critical approach to examine Chinese perception of their own history, Chinese motivation to develop competitive sports, the state- run sports system in China, as well as various problems and challenges lying ahead of Chinese sport, ready to be tackled. Part of the thesis offers an analysis of linguistic and ideological aspect of the Chinese publications. The thesis also encounters the topic of the rise of China (i.e. People's Republic of China) and offers brief explanations in relation to the main topic rather than in a broader context. Keywords: modern history of China, history of sport, sport in China, competitive sports, state-run sports system, language & ideology, Marxism, People's Republic of Chin