When Xu Zhiyuan was just a teenager, he went to Liangxiang County, Zhili (now Hebei) to serve his father Xu Wenxuan. Most of the county's documents were written by him, and his literary talent and talent were the best at that time.
Xu Zhiyuan later traveled to the capital and gained a great reputation. Wang Rong of Jingzhao Yin valued him very much and invited him to the government office to help with government affairs. He had served as Jing Zhaoyin several times, and all of them relied on him. Every time he was sentenced to death, he would often stay up for several nights, thinking over and over again, hoping that the criminal would get a lighter sentence. Whenever he encounters a suspicious case, he will try it again and again and conduct in-depth investigations until he truly gets the truth. Therefore, he worked as a staff member in Jingzhao Mansion for 20 years and saved many people alive.
Xu Zhiyuan competed with Mao Yulin, a calligrapher and painter from his hometown who was proficient in classics and history, and Wang Zhensheng, who was an expert in poetry, calligraphy and painting, and they all gained temporary prestige by comparing articles and morality. Later, he was transferred to the Imperial College and served as the Superintendent of the Imperial Academy as a doctor, in charge of punishment and inspection affairs, and also in charge of Ryukyu officials and students.
Xu Zhiyuan is humble and kind, neither arrogant nor impetuous, but at heart he is very honest and does not flatter. He would not take any frivolous wealth. He is always consistent in his interactions with others, and is very enthusiastic about helping his friends solve their difficulties, even if they are afraid of not being able to do so. His poems, books, and paintings are all of great skill. He studied Du Fu's poems and was able to capture the charm of Du Fu's poems; his calligraphy was majestic; his plum paintings and engravings were also famous at that time.
Xu Zhiyuan’s writings are very rich, but during the Boxer Rebellion and the Eight-Power Allied Forces invasion of Tongzhou in the 26th year of Guangxu (1900), most of them were lost, and only one volume, "Yin Xiangxiangtang Relics", was published.