Xu was given the title of national master of engineering design in 2006 and won his first national outstanding engineer award in 2014. He claimed the 2015 outstanding achievement award presented by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the first Chinese to win the honor.

He was the co-author of the latest version of the International Bridge Engineering Handbook. His peers praised him as "an engineer committed to innovation and high-quality bridge design and construction. He faces challenges and balances the structural safety, durability, economy, functionality and sustainability to build bridges that live forever."

In addition to the achievement, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge, linking two mountain cliffs in Central China's Hunan province, has won the Arthur G. Hayden Medal at the conference. It was the longest and tallest glass-bottomed bridge in the world when it opened in 2016.