Abstract: The study of Wenxin Diaolong (The Literary Mind and The Carving of Dragons), which is a classical work of literature theory in ancient China, needs a new approach of putting it in the context of the “world literature”. On the other hand, the literature theory in Marxist aesthetics, which originated from the West, also requires a new way to combine itself with Chinese cultural resources so as to realize its development in contemporary China. This paper explores the similarities between Wenxin Diaolong and Marxist aesthetics from three aspects, namely, aesthetic emotion and will, social concern, and humanistic ideal.