Twentieth century Chinese mathematicians have generally sought to locate their work in the tradition of modern mathematics rather than in Chinese past. But in the relative international isolation and strongly populist ideology of the early PRC (1949-1976), some tried to link their mathematics to the work and intellectual interests of their ancestors. In this paper, I compare two prominent representatives of this tendency, to show the shifting relative value of “tradition” and “antiquity” for situating mathematics in China. In the 1950s and 60s, Hua Loo-Keng (1910-1985), director of the Institute of Mathematics, appealed to the history of Chinese mathematics as a source of confidence for aspiring mathematical youth. In newspaper articles and popular brochures, he argued that mathematics should rightfully be a Chinese discipline. He also chose topics once treated in ancient and medieval Chinese mathematical texts as entry points into popularising but technical discussions of problems of more recent Western mathematics. The Chinese tradition of doing mathematics was invoked both for its relative antiquity and for the link to putative common ancestors, in order to legitimate current mathematical interests, and to argue that the Chinese were able to excel in modern mathematics as well. Since the 1970s, a different brand of mathematical historicism was adopted by Wu Wen-Tsun (born 1919). Wu elevated the Chinese tradition into a source of independent inspiration for the development of modern mathematics, specifically for his method of mechanised theorem proving. Wu’s use of Chinese tradition was forward-looking: instead of appealing to its antiquity or tracing mathematical talents to Chinese ancestors, as Hua did, Wu Wen-Tsun emphasised its relevance for the mathematics of the future. Apart from different personalities and inclinations of these two mathematicians, the difference also reflects the historical experience of Chinese mathematics prior to and during the Cultural Revolution. Ideologically induced research discontinuities made Wu appreciate long-term stable development, for him an aspect of tradition more important than its antiquity.