In her book Kuo Chih-yuan: A Rose Blooms in the Desert, pianist Tchen Yu-chiou, the secretary-general of the National Cultural Association, wrote this of Kuo: "Traversing the tracks of hundreds of years of Taiwanese history, he invokes beautiful music and various styles to record the voice of the people, from common folk to intellectuals, from temples to concert halls."
名鋼琴家、文化總會秘書長陳郁秀曾寫過《郭芝苑──沙漠中盛開的紅薔薇》一書，書中寫道：「在穿越台灣的百年歷史軌跡中，郭芝苑以天籟之聲、以不同的形式，記錄了由小市民至知識份子，由廟口至音樂殿堂的所有心聲。」