In early 20th century China, the publications on the history of Chinese painting burgeoned with the introduction of the field of art history from the West. T eng Gu ( 滕固, 1901-1941), among other Chinese art historians of this era, played a pioneering role in writing the history of Chinese art from a modern perspective. This paper carefully examines T eng Gu’s “Su Tung P’o als Kunstkritiker” (1932) to bring to light his interpretation of the significance of Su Shi (蘇軾, 1037- 1101) in the history of Chinese painting. Through this, it will also be possible to understand how T eng Gu, as ‘a modern subject,’ tried to establish the history of Chinese painting. In modern times, the criticism and advocacy of traditional culture coexisted in China, and accordingly the literati paintings were also reevaluated in the art world. Su Shi’s writings, however, was rarely studied despite his contribution in establishing the concept of literati painting in the early 20th century. In this respect, the T eng Gu’s text is notable in that it not only recognizes Su Shi’s insight into the history of Chinese painting but also provides a new interpretation of Su Shi’s role in the history of Chinese painting. By reexamining Su Shi’s work through the lens of contemporary Western thoughts, including the theory of empathy, art criticism, and aestheticism, T eng Gu aimed to incorporate the history of Chinese painting into the “universal scope of Western art history. ” The undertaking of T eng Gu distinctly demonstrates the idea of the twofold values of modern East Asian scholars: protecting tradition and advocating westernization.