Intercultural images in transition: a diachronic study of cultural representations in Chinese English language textbooks (1984–2019)

This study investigates how interculturality is shaped and reshaped across four generations of Chinese high school English textbooks (1985–2019) published by the People's Education Press. Drawing on Kachru's concentric circles and the 4Ps model of cultural content, it reveals persistent asymmetries: a continued privileging of Inner Circle (IC) and European cultures, the marginalization of non-Western voices through symbolic or instrumental portrayals, and a significant re-centering of Chinese culture in recent editions. Moreover, cultural ‘products’ and ‘persons’ dominate, while ‘practices’ and ‘perspectives’ remain underdeveloped, limiting deeper intercultural engagement. These patterns illustrate how English textbooks function not merely as pedagogical tools, but as ideological instruments shaped by shifting visions of globalization, identity, and soft power. This study contributes to critical textbook research by conceptualizing pedagogical bifocalism to describe the dual cultural agendas of global engagement and national identity, and calling for a more balanced, reflexive, and dialogic approach to curriculum development in multilingual settings.