By reading the English translation and French translation of Confucian classics and other means, H. D. Thoreau was to some extent influenced by ancient Chinese culture in the shaping of his thought. In view of the western academic putting too much emphasis on the importance of Indian culture on Thoreau and ignoring the effect of ancient Chinese culture, Chinese scholars, out of cultural consciousness, strongly emphasized that Thoreau was under the influence of Chinese Confucianism. Domestic scholars went to extremes, overexaggerating the positive influence of Confucianism on Thoreau, when they didn’t collect and read enough references. Actually, Thoreau’s description of China was diversified. What Thoreau portrayed was not a real China, but changed Chinese culture and reconstructed it according to the tastes and interests of USA.