In addition to archaeology, he studied related subjects under famed scholars who taught at PKU, including history of Sino-foreign relations under Feng Chengjun [zh] (冯承钧), Chinese mythology with Sun Zuoyun (孙作云), oracle bones from Rong Geng [zh] (容庚), and history of Buddhism from Tang Yongtong.

Combining his expertise in both history and archaeology, the report made incisive analyses of the Song dynasty society and customs based on the discovery,[1] although he failed to consider the possibility that the paintings in the tomb might depict an imaginary spiritual world rather than the occupants' real life.

Many of his students became renowned archaeologists, including Hang Kan (杭侃), head of the School of Archaeology and Museology of Peking University; Zhang Zhongpei, president of the Palace Museum; Fan Jinshi, president of the Dunhuang Research Academy; An Jiayao, fellow of the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and head of its Xi'an Station.

Even after Fan Jinshi gained renown as an expert, Su disapproved of the first drafts of her archaeological report on the Dunhuang Grottoes.

In that year he donated all his books to the Peking University Library, which established the Su Bai Reading Room to host the collection.