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the means of investigation, most of the studies employ content, thematic as their analyzing basis, just scratching the surface of the graffiti. And some researches dedicate to dig out the nature of graffiti, demonstrating the underlined psychological, sociological, ethnical, cultural reason for the graffiti behavior in detail. No matter where the researches are conducted, no matter what approaches are adopted, it is hard to find literatures dealing with graffiti as a visual product to perform certain identities. In contemporary society, visual images, like photographs and pictures, are playing an increasingly important role in people's lives. According to Kress and Van Leeuwen (1996), visual images are also works as a valuable means to communicate, because they function alike the three metafunctional meanings as language, that is to say, the representational, interactional and compositional meaning of Visual Grammar (henceforth VG) have the similar function as the three meta-functions of language: ideational, interpersonal and textual function proposed by Hallidady. Thus, like language, the image represents meanings for the viewer. Graffiti, especially image-based ones, should be viewed as a discourse to communicate. However, little research centers on the graffiti resorting to VG as analyzing tool.
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Chapter Two: Literature Review

2.1 A Given Definition of Graffiti
According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term “graffiti” is defined as “writing or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place”. The word graffiti, derived from the Greek word graphein ('to write') (Reisen 1971) and in Italian Graffito meaning to scratch (as on the surface of wall, stencils, corridors, windows, etc.) is 'a reflection of complex socio–economic and cultural factors' (Pam King, Michael Setter2003). The literature reveals a distinction between public graffiti and private graffiti (Abel & Buckley, 1977; Schwartz & Dovidio, 1984). Public graffiti contain anonymous inscriptions found on public spaces, including the sides of buildings, transit facilities, fences, even vans. Private graffiti are anonymous inscriptions found within buildings (ibid). This paper focuses on the latter private graffiti found within the physical spaces (hereafter the physical spaces refer to any campus spaces which can perform graffiti writings, such as, the sides/corners of buildings, transit facilities, fences, toilet stalls, well lids, even uniforms, etc.) of campus. To narrow down the scope, it refers to any words, figures, pictures, caricatures, and images that have been written or drawn on surfaces where college students can get access into it.
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2.2 Identity Construction
In today's fast growing society, coupled with the increasingly frequent connection of the globe world, people's concern about their identity become more and more intense. Identity, put it simply, is the question of 'who we are?', or 'who am I?”. Identity has long been an object of academic study. In social identity theory, a social identity is a person's knowledge that he or she belongs to