This study observes the topics on China in the French writings of Tcheng Ki-tong (1852-1907). The works of Tcheng showed how intellectuals of the late Qing dynasty received and responded to the concept of "World Literature" in a translingual and transnational way. Tcheng's idea of "Chinese Literature" had also been reconstructed when he was in in the course of "self-locating". There were a total of eight books by Tcheng, and this article will be focusing on three of them: Mon Pays, Les Contes Chinois, and Le Roman de l'homme Jaune. Tcheng used different strategies for his interpretative works and creative writings, in a time when the boundaries of language and culture had been blurred. With this understanding, this article attempts to explore the national imagination reflected in his books. On the topic of translation strategy, this article examines "words" and "sounds" in the works of Tcheng and will touch on problems about "rhythm" in lyric literature and "format" in narrative writing. This article also seeks to examine the cultural gap that appeared from translation, by analyzing the reciting of poems in Tcheng's speech drafts, and the translation and rewriting of Strange Tales of Liaozhai. As for Tcheng's novel writing, Le Roman de l'homme Jaune was based on an old, classic Chinese story, rewritten from the Biography of Huo Xiaoyu and The Legend of Purple Hairpin (Zi Chai Ji), and therefore reflects a strong Chinese influence. However, it was written in fluent French, and abided by the literary form of French literature. Tcheng's writings show high complexity in languages, forms and contents, and should not be neglected in the history of literature.