His solid training to be a painter attentive to details was the result of strict discipline under Xu Beihong, his mentor, while studying art in Chongqing in the 1940s.

Xu emphasized a realist approach. Wei followed Xu to become a young teacher at CAFA, when Xu became the head of the academy in the early 1950s.

Beginning in the 1980s, Wei was introduced to the different styles of art from the outside, as the country began opening-up. While not turning away from his cultural roots and the social realities of the country, he was inspired to start his own artistic explorations.

Jin Shangyi, a celebrated oil painter, once studied under Wei's mentorship and after graduation, worked with him at CAFA's oil painting department.

"Wei was one of the most productive teacher-artists at CAFA during my school years," Jin says.