Xiao is the founder and pioneer of professional music education in China, and also a famous music theorist and composer.

Xiao's music works are also very rich. His String Quartet in D Major is the first string quartet in China, and his Music Today and New Songs for Primary and Secondary School Students are the first two collections of textbooks, songs and personal works published in China. 1924 The May 4th Patriotic Song, written to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the May 4th Movement, is the earliest song to praise this great movement in China. Qiu Si, composed at 1930, is the first duet for cello and piano in China.