The Reception and Dissemination of Henry Thoreau in China (1926–1949)

While it is commonly believed in Chinese academic discourse that Henry Thoreau's reception in China began with Xu Chi’s 1949 translation of <i>Walden</i>, this study challenges that view by tracing Thoreau’s earliest appearances in Chinese literary culture back to the 1920s. Beginning with Zheng Zhenduo’s 1926 essay “On American Literature,” Chinese intellectuals such as Zeng Xubai, Zhang Yuerui, Xu Chi, Yu Dafu, and Lin Yutang cited, commented on, or translated Thoreau’s works, albeit often in fragmented or introductory ways. By examining early Chinese publications, writers’ reflections, and initial translations, this article reconstructs the formative phase of Thoreau’s reception in China from 1926 to 1949. Despite the limited depth of these early engagements—owing to political instability and cultural constraints—they laid essential groundwork for the later influence of Thoreau. The study argues that Thoreau’s image during this period remained partial and blurred, yet these initial encounters reveal the mechanisms of early Sino-American literary exchange and the conditions necessary for cross-cultural literary transmission. Through this case study, the article contributes to a broader understanding of the historical dynamics shaping the global circulation of American literature.