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Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892‐1927), one of the most representative writers inmodern Japanese literature, has close relationship with China. He has created manyworks relevant to China, one of which is Travels in China, a great achievementafter he traveled half part of the country from March to July in 1921 as a newspapercorrespondent. In this book, the most typical description of China is “dirty, noisy,and disorder” environment. Why is he impressed by such kind of “Chinese image”?The gap between his imagination to Chinese traditional culture and the real situationof China he saw exacerbates Akutagawa’s negative impression towards China. Besides, the idea of “Easternism”, which appeared in modern Japan, constrains hisunderstanding to China and impairs his desires for exploration of China. Theconservative action and inner superiority as a “traveler” make Akutagawa fail toappreciate the real China. Therefore, his book‐‐ Travels in China—can hardly becomea work with a profound understanding towards China.