Li Ao once said in an interview:

I think Lu Xun has been overly politicized and overestimated in mainland China. Lu Xun wrote "The True Story of Ah Q" and "A Brief History of Chinese Novels", both of which are very good books. However, the essays written by Lu Xun are actually not good. Everyone thinks Lu Xun's essays are sharp, but they are actually not good. ...I think Lu Xun is overrated. Even his younger brother Zhou Zuoren said the same thing. He said that Lu Xun might not want to be overestimated in this way. Overestimation is not about Lu Xun, but it proves that if you overestimate him, there is something wrong with your level

Liang Shiqiu evaluated Lu Xun's literature and thought in "About Lu Xun":

I have already said that Lu Xun’s works are more exciting because of his mixed feelings. But there is still a question as to how many of them can become satires of permanent value. ... In terms of novels, ... according to my opinion, the best of his short stories is "The True Story of Ah Q". The rest of them are not like short stories in structure. They seem to be sporadic sketches of fragments. There are a few pieces. It is beautiful in words and sentiments. ... In terms of literary research, Lu Xun's only commendable thing is his "A Brief History of Chinese Novels". He has done some research on Chinese novels... Since the May Fourth Movement, the new literature and art There are many authors, but not many are truly successful, and there are still few like Lu Xun. ...But as a writer, it is not enough to complain and feel resentment. He must have a set of positive thoughts and a set of positive views on people and things. Even if he does not have to form a system, at least he must have a set of positive thoughts. There must also be a positive proposition. Lu Xun is not enough to say this. All he has is a negative attitude. To sum up, it is an attitude of "dissatisfaction with the status quo". This attitude is not wrong.