Xu Jishe sympathizes with people's feelings and is an honest official. Because of his solid Confucian education, the people-oriented thought is deeply imprinted in his thoughts. He once said in the article "Politics is to support the people" that what the ancient sage Chen Mo admired was not to govern the people, but to support them, and that it was not enough to support the rich without knowing how to enrich them. In his view, the main task of being an official is to support the people instead of governing them, and any behavior that hurts them is not allowed.
Therefore, he hated the corruption of officialdom at that time and always insisted on his incorruptibility. He once told a friend that although his brother has been working outside for more than ten years, he has never bought any land at home. Among the officials in the late Qing Dynasty, Xu Jishe was so incorruptible, although it can't be said that he didn't, it is rare.
Historical evaluation
Xu Jishe's evaluation of Washington was made independently without any support, inheritance and reference, which reflected his profound insight. Later, some intellectuals in China inherited and deduced Xu's comments, and some intellectuals developed and deepened them. The general framework of Xu's comments is still political achievements and morality, and the main aspects are still the establishment of democratic system advocated and noble personal morality.
It is in this sense that Xu Jishe's Washington Theory has pioneering and exemplary significance in the history of modern thought. The formation of Xu Jishe's open thought is closely related to his time, his extensive knowledge in his early years and his extensive contacts with westerners in Fujian and other coastal provinces.
Reference to the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Xu Jishe