As a son of the prominent poet Ai Qing, Ai Xuan is a member of the Chinese Artists'Association and ranks the national-level First Rate Painter in China. Many of his works have been shown and earned him awards in several exhibitions. His paintings could be found in the museums and private collection. In 1998, his name was listed in the book titled Chinese Artists Collection (Zhong guo mei shu jia quan ji); since 1999, his name was also included in the book titled Chinese Modern Art History, teaching materials of American's Yale University.

In his youth, Ai Xuan ever served for 4 years on a military farm in Tibet. Afterward he has often visited Tibet and his art has almost focused on Tibet. Since 1974, he has gone to northern Tibet every year to collect subject matters for painting landscapes and figures. The immense views of the surroundings made a great impact to him. Amongst the snowy wildness and the breathtaking tranquility, he was stirred. The boundless bleakness and loneliness made him review his impressions of this mysterious land.

Art critics pointed out Ai Xuan's distinguishing feature as below: taking advantage of the scenery to express emotions sums up Ai Xuan's work. He almost always has only one figure in his paintings, aiming to express the individual's existence and the loner's loneliness and thoughts. Such a solitary focus not only stems from his personal experiences, but also from his understandings about life. His innermost mind is reflected in his works. The sentimental figures in his paintings seem lost in profound meditation and stamped with a deep sense of loss. Another characteristic of Ai Xuan's work is to blend desolate emotion with mysterious beauty. His esthetic sensibilities guide audiences to enter a holy and mysterious art world. The concept in his painting is temperate but expressive. The artist never neglects beauty while depicting natural landscape with figures. Even adopting strange composition enhances the image, he never forgets to satisfy audiences with the appreciation of beauty.