Changes of the Image of Chinese People in Western Movies under the Speech Accommodation Theory

As a carrier of culture and art, the movie inevitably becomes an important means of the cultural output of a country. Western movies especially American movies represent certain Western values and spread the Western language. The image of Chinese people is not uncommon in Western movies. However, with the rise of China, the change in China-Western relations, and the variation of the international situation, the portrayal of China in Western movies has also changed. This article selects six typical Western movies from the 1930s, 1980s, 1990s, and 21st century, Fu Manchu’s Mask, Charlie Chen -- the Black Camel, the last emperor, M. Butterfly, Mulan, and Crazy Rich Asians, which to a certain extent represent the attitude of mainstream American ideology towards China. This paper uses the Speech Accommodation Theory to analyze and research some lines about an image of Chinese people in Western movies and summarizes the manifestations, reasons, and coping strategies of image changes in Western movies.