Dalian University of Technology
Wei later enrolled in Dalian University of Technology and graduated in 1952, majoring in mechanics. From 1952 to 1953, he studied Russian language in Fushun. Wei was then sent to the Soviet Union to study industrial management until 1955. In the early stages of the Cultural Revolution he was politically disgraced and performed manual labour, but regained favour in 1970 and became the head of the revolutionary committee of the factory he worked at. Between 1981 and 1983 he served as Mayor of Harbin.