The Chongqing exhibition shows the close ties that Xu and the Huang family shared, as well as Xu's devotion to reform Chinese painting. Xu once said: "Of the traditional techniques, one should preserve the outstanding ones, inherit the disappearing ones, change the inadequate ones, and infuse the adaptable Western techniques into one's work."

Xu infused changes in brushwork with his strong sense of social responsibility. He hoped his art would inspire and touch people from varying social ranks for the sake of the future of his native land and its traditions.