对于中国的知识分子而言，马克思主义颇具吸引力，这一方面是因为它带着书卷的气息，引入了一套现代道德正统观念；另一方面则是因为马克思主义与儒家学说一样，都建立在一种关于完美和谐的诺言基础之上：在共产主义乌托邦内，最终将再无利益的冲突。
Marxism appealed to Chinese intellectuals, because it was bookish, introduced a modern moral orthodoxy, and was based, like Confucianism, on a promise of perfect harmony. Ultimately, in the Communist utopia, conflicts of interests would melt away.