Comparative analysis of the geoconcepts ‘Beijing’ and ‘Shanghai’ in the ‘na"ive’ geography of China

This article focuses on the reconstruction and comparative analysis of the geocognitive concepts ‘Beijing’ and ‘Shanghai’ in the ‘naïve’ geography of China. The study is conducted within the framework of geocognitive studies developed by the Perm School of Computer Linguistics. Geocognitive studies, as a science of conceptualizing mental representations of space, enable a better understanding of people's mental maps, their perceptions of the world and adaptation in the surrounding space, which can be valuable in the development of urban projects, tourist routes, marketing strategies, and many other areas where geographic aspects are important. The method of material collection employed in the study is geocognitive mapping - an experiment aimed at creating ‘naïve’ maps conducted using the vector graphics web editor Creative Maps Studio. The research material consists of 96 ‘naïve’ maps of China created by student informants from universities in China representing 45 regions. The informants were asked to draw a map of China using the web editor and supplement the drawn objects with associations or representations related to them. The processing of the textual layer of all collected maps, necessary for subsequent modeling of geocognitive concepts, was carried out in the information system Semograph, and graphical explication of graphosemantic models of the geocognitive concepts was performed using the SciVi program. In the informants’ perceptions, the geocognitive concept ‘Beijing’ is a more complex semantic formation, based on the political role of the capital, linking the country in social, cultural, and historical aspects. The geocognitive concept ‘Shanghai’ encapsulates perceptions of an economic and commercial metropolis - the ‘Magic City’ of the modern global world. During the analysis of the cities, it was found that historical, sociocultural components, and personal experience significantly influence the associations and/or representations of informants.