Yan Wei was an important figure on the path of Tang poetry in eastern Zhejiang. As a native of Yuezhou (now Shaoxing), he united foreign and local poets, gathered together from time to time to sing, and collectively created a large number of poems. His talents and charisma were both admired by everyone, and he was therefore revered as the "Leader of the Poetry Circle in Eastern Zhejiang".
In addition to his wide range of entertainment and singing, Yan Wei's main disciples include Zhang Bayuan, Lingche, etc., all of whom later became outstanding figures. Yan Wei's residence in Kuaiji was very famous, and many poets came to stay there and left interesting poems, mainly Qing Jiang, Huangfu Ran, Liu Changqing, Wu Yuanheng, etc.