[5]: 64 Membership in the Blue Shirts Society was kept a strict secret: With a view to attaining the object of immediately overthrowing the feudal influences, exterminating the Red Bandits, and dealing with foreign insult[s], members of the Blue Shirts Society should conduct in secret their activities in various provinces, xian, and cities, except for the central Guomindang headquarters and other political organs whose work must be executed in an official manner.

[1] Historian Jeffrey Crean notes that the Blue Shirts impacted only elite politics, not the vast majority of China's population.

Xiao got Deng Wenyi's support and carried out his plan by taking over several newspapers and journals, and by enrolling its members in universities.

In connection with the New Life Movement, some Blue Shirts attacked what they deemed as symbols of Western decadence like dance halls and movie theaters.

[5]: 65 In March, Chiang issued guidance, consisting of 95 rules of the New Life Movement, being a mixture of Chinese traditions and western standards.

But because the plan was so ambitious and rigid, and because its policies created too much inconvenience in the everyday lives of the people, it fell into disfavor.