The classes in biology, chemistry, and the other natural sciences at Dartmouth greatly influenced him, and he later attempted to have his students use the scientific methods in their social studies.

In 1938 he founded the Department of Sociology of Yunnan University, after 1950 he served as a professor of Central College for Nationalities.

[2] Fei Xiaotong, Lin Yaohua, Huang Huajie, Qu Tongzu were his students.

Since the early 1940s, he has vigorously advocated the academic thought of Chinese ethnological anthropology.

For more than half a century, Wu Wenzao's thought has guided the development direction of Chinese ethnological anthropology.