1972年，義大利導演安東尼奧尼有一個難得的機遇，獲得允許在官方陪同下進入當時封閉與鐵幕的中國拍攝，在北京、河南、蘇州、南京與上海等地待了22天，並製作完成了長達三個半小時的紀錄片「中國」，後來該片不僅遭到中共查禁與抗議，更在平面媒體上受到了持續一年的批判，而經過剪輯刪減與加配旁白的黑白訊號版本，卻又成為臺灣三臺聯播的政宣節目；本文即是以安東尼奧尼及其「中國」事件作為一個個案研究，這裡包括了「中國」的紀錄片、《人民日報》的批判文字以及臺灣三臺聯播的影像版本，尤其是探討它如何呈現著一個視聽的符號之收集、定錨，最後被延伸並建構成另一個意識形態的神話之歷程；而作者藉此想進一步凸顯的正是，紀實性的音像作為視聽的符號及其語言，其詮釋如何立基於它與觀看關係、社會形構及文化意義體系之間的連結。

How do we apply the method of semiotics to analyze documentary? Based on collecting and editing real signs such as image, sound, voice-over and subtitle, the director presents his or her documentary as some kind of visual-audio langue. This paper tries to examine the case of Antonioni’s Cina(1972) of which three versions differ from each other: the director’s cut version, the criticism by People’s Daily and the screening one on Taiwan’s television. It is argued that the versions lead to a mystification process of ideologies. The author aims to emphasize that the realistic documentary should be interpreted in its connections to the viewing, the social formation and the cultural meaning systems.