Xu, born in 1963, is the deputy chief engineer of the China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance & Design Institute. He is the chief designer of more than 50 bridges, including more than 30 suspension bridges and more than 20 cable-stayed bridges.

He designed the Shantou Bay bridge, the first modern suspension bridge in China, and the Xiling Yangtze River bridge, the first bridge spanning the Yangtze River without a pier standing in the river.

He also designed the Wufengshan highway and railway suspension bridge with a main span of 1,092 meters, and the Yangsigang double-deck highway bridge with a main span of 1,700 meters. Both broke several world records among similar bridges across the globe.