Abstract: The existing mainstream "structure-system" research of xinfang (petition) pays more attention to the analysis of the facts and the relevant laws and regulations. However, unlike other public governance issues, even if the facts are clear in xinfang events, the understanding and interpretation of the facts by petitioners and the government vary greatly, resulting in constant changes and contrasts of the images presented by the two sides. This makes it difficult to classify the governance of xinfang issues, and calls for an analysis of "context-narrative" in order to clarify the matter.
With the help of symbolic interaction theory, this study proposes a research perspective of "image making" to analyze the process of petitioners and local governments engaging in creating positive images for their own ends to be presented to the higher level of authorities. The discussion of this image competition is placed within the context of the Chinese bureaucratic petition system. Focusing on a xinfang case over demolition and relocation that lasted for several years in Ping town, Sichuan province, the study examines petition letters and official documents of the case and describes the competitive image making between the land-lost farmers and the local government. The study finds that xinfang itself is a process of"storytelling" and the key to successful narratives lies in situational judgment and image making. The social traditions, the petition system, and the political environment are structural elements that are used by petitioners and the government to shape an "compound image" of all the parties involved. This "image making" in xinfang makes it difficult to solve substantive problems and promote institutionalization of the system, and in fact, it may have increased the burden of local governance. Finally, this article also offers a discussion on the theoretical implication of the "image making" perspective.

Key words: xinfang, grassroots governance, symbolic interactionism, image making, narrative sociology