[1] He was a professor of Liaoning University and served as President of the Chinese Folklore Society.
Although he officially retired in 1998, he continued teaching and researching for another 20 years, and taught as an adjunct or visiting professor at 18 universities in China and abroad.
Even in his eighties, he explored and studied remote villages in mountainous regions with poor living conditions.
[4] In a 2017 poll organized by the Guangming Daily, Wu received the most votes as one of the "10 most important people" for China's intangible cultural heritage.
[3] Wu fell ill in April 2018, and sought treatment in Germany.