As a fundamental driver of social development, the theory of productive forces evolved via critical inheritance from classical economics to Marxism. Adam Smith stressed the division of labour and markets for productivity growth, while Liszt proposed the concept of national productivity involving material and spiritual capital. From the perspective of historical materialism, Marx founded a scientific theory on the dialectics of productive forces and production relations. Rooted in technological revolution and China's high-quality development, new-quality productive forces creatively develop Marxist productivity theory. This paper traces this theoretical pedigree to interpret its theoretical achievements, limitations and practical value for contemporary Chinese economic development.