Xu Shichang
In 1914, Ferguson returned to the United States to live in Newton, Massachusetts, but in 1915 accepted a position as adviser to Xu Shichang, who soon became President, which required Ferguson to travel back and forth to China. His lectures at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1918 were published as "Outlines of Chinese Art". In 1919, his position as adviser led him to establish a permanent home in Beijing. In 1921, he was adviser for the Chinese delegation to the Washington Conference.