Shaping a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China is the core goal of international communication in the new era. As African countries are important partners in China-Africa cooperation, the decoding of China’s image by media professionals directly impacts the effectiveness of regional dissemination. In 2023, People’s Daily New Media launched the national image promotional film PRC. Based on the film, this article conducts a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews with African media practitioners. The study finds that African media professionals present a diversified decoding pattern of the China’s image constructed by the promotional film, with dominant and negotiated interpretations prevailing. The positive outcomes of China-Africa practical cooperation serve as the foundation for respondents’ positive identification, while cognitive biases in certain areas are related to the insufficient media and people-to-people exchanges between China and Africa, as well as the interference of Western public opinion. Additionally, the professional framework of media practitioners and audience expectations also play an important role in moderating their interpretations.