钱维城自幼聪敏、有悟性，读书每日千余言。十岁能诗，乾隆三年（1738）十九岁举顺天乡试，乾隆十年（1745）26岁进士第一（状元），授翰林院修撰。时翰林学士分习满文、汉文，钱维城满文名列“散馆三等”，乾隆有些不高兴，说：“（钱）维城岂谓清文不足习耶？”傅恒为他辩解一番。乾隆下命再试汉文，乾隆又说他的诗词有疵漏，文赋尚通顺，仍留“修撰”一职。后历任右中允，入直南书房，充日讲起居注官，侍读学士，侍讲学士，内阁学士，礼、工、刑部侍郎等职。乾隆十九年（1754）充会试副考官、教习庶吉士。乾隆二十二年（1757），授工部侍郎、充武会试正考官。　乾隆二十三年（1758），钱维城奉旨分理京城五城平粜事宜。他上奏：请考虑依厂地远近定运费多少。乾隆帝下诏，按其所请从速执行。乾隆二十四年（1759），充任江西乡试正考官。乾隆二十六年（1761），调刑部左侍郎。不久，授任浙江学政。乾隆二十七年（1762），在刑部侍郎任上，钱维城奏请：申明有漏洞的律例二事：一是凡所杀的是作案罪人，就宽恕杀人罪，乃是杀死罪犯不论罪。但案后移动尸体，反遭流放，这是本小末大。二是杀拒捕之奸夫者，以斗杀论；而杀不拒捕之奸夫者不论罪。依此律例会使奸夫索性都拒捕。此二项所请得以下部议行，经改正得到弥补、纠正。
乾隆三十四年（1769），钱维城疏请：考取内阁中书一事，请弥封墨卷并加印，以防由墨卷知其省份、座号等，滋生舞弊之举。而后，钱惟城被任命赴贵州，查审威灵知州刘标贪污国库金币，和前任巡抚方世俊等索贿贪赃枉法案。他微服私访，打破关系网，终令案情大白。上报朝廷，使罪犯依律论罪。乾隆三十七年（1772），钱维城的父亲去世，他也一病不起，旧病复发，卒于家中。皇帝特赐“尚书”衔，谥文敏，赐祭葬如例。葬怀南乡。著有《茶山集》、《茶山诗钞》十一卷、《茶山文钞》十二卷、《鸣春小草》七卷。

钱维城，字宗盘，江南武进人。乾隆十年一甲一名进士，授修撰。功令，初入翰林，分习清、汉文。维城习清文，散馆列三等。上不怿，曰：“维城岂谓清文不足习耶？”傅恒为之解。命再试汉文，上谓诗有疵，赋尚通顺，仍留修撰。是岁即迁右中允，命南书房行走。三迁，再转为刑部侍郎。疏请申明律例：“事主杀盗贼移尸，有司辄置勿论。本律科移尸罪，反至流徒。请凡杀人律得勿论者，虽移尸仍用本律。杀奸之狱，奸夫拒捕，有司辄用斗杀律定谳。杀奸杀拒捕者，反重於杀不拒捕者。请用杀拒捕罪人律勿论。”下部议行。三十四年，命偕内阁学士富察善如贵州会湖广总督吴达善按治威宁州知州刘标亏帑，巡抚良卿、前巡抚方世俊等皆坐谴。三十五年，古州苗香要为乱，复命偕吴达善及巡抚宫兆麟督剿。香要多力而狡，苗女迫根为羽翼，煽旁寨出掠。维城如古州，督总兵程国相破乌牛、佳居诸寨，获迫根。维城乃自乌牛如佳居宣谕，解胁从。督兵破朋论大箐，香要独身跳去。乃令先撤兵，遣诇香要，卒擒而歼之。乱定，谕议叙。三十六年，云南龙陵戍卒四十去伍走，既就获，大吏请悉诛之。维城入对，言：“伊犁戍卒荷校一月，今用法过重。且戮於获所，边兵何由知？不如械至龙陵，倍其罚，荷校三月，足以儆众。”上从之。三十七年，丁父忧，归，以毁卒。谥文敏。
维城工文翰，画山水幽深沈厚。钱陈群谓维城通籍后画益工，盖得益於邦达云。

钱维城自幼甚喜绘画，开始从族祖母陈书学习画写意折枝花果，勾描渲染，随类赋形，气联意合，整体协调。后来得到了画家董邦达指导，学画山水。所画山水，山势逶迤，流泉飞泻，烟霭飘浮，水光荡漾。构图井然，意境清幽。山石多用皴笔。他的绘画远学元代四家即黄公望、倪瓒、吴镇、王蒙，近学清初四王即王时敏、王鉴、王徽、王原祁。。《桐阴论画》说他的山水画“笔意亦临摹仿麓台，邱壑幽深，树石灵秀，颇臻妙境。”钱维城投身科举时，很少有人知道他擅长书画，直到状元及第后，在随乾隆的一次狩猎中，乾隆射中一只老虎，于是钱维城受命创作“射虎图”，作品完成后乾隆连连称赞，并下令将此画刻在木兰围场的石头上，从此钱维城在画坛上名声大振。在钱维城的绘画中，带棱角的石形、双勾少皴的树干，以及中锋含蓄的细笔、淡墨勾皴的线条，都存有董邦达的笔意，但他更擅长缜密的用笔和青绿、赭石相间的设色，其中也显示出清初“四王”的流派风格，他的作品经常呈现出来的是一派宫廷富贵的气息。在乾隆的收藏目录《石渠宝芨》中，收录的钱维城作品有160多幅，由此可见乾隆皇帝对钱维城作品的赏识程度。著名的有《九秋图卷》。
钱维城擅长书法，工整精细，“宗磐工书，书法东坡。”他师法宋朝书法四大家之一的苏东坡。落笔苍润，秀骨天成。也能吟诗，以杜少陵为宗。人称“钱文敏尚书，诗宗少陵，书规苏文忠。”可谓诗、书、画一体。

【属疾寄曹剑亭】
微疴如小隐，闭户即山林。节序抛孤枕，生涯剩苦吟。
霜中群木尽，雨后一镫深。持此萧闲味，应符静者心。
【雨后过平阳县】
雨过空翠滴，风转弱云低。一路杏花发，满山春鸟啼。
人家斜崦口，城郭夕阳西。不信尘中得，行行惜马蹄。
【桃花岭】
陟巘疲千盘，幽壑屡延伫。遥见前山人，招手可共语。
层峰起趼下，琐碎不可数。白云滃其间，倏忽若吞吐。
深秋无定风，容易作晴雨。石窄滑不支，磵深危敢俯。
螺旋已无径，蚁附复可取。人生苦局促，撇捩羡鸟羽。
未尽三十程，曦轮过停午。
【观瀑】
灵泉窦云根，飞洒自天半。初如匹练下，触石遂零乱。
飘萧恍雨霰，隐约冒菭藓。雾气幂虚亭，霏微著几案。
潭底无定珠，东西湿遥岸。客游凉素里，屡欲衣裳换。
失口讶垂虹，惊风忽中断。雷霆乍砰击，琴筑复疏散。
谁喷冰雪怀，高唱接云汉。太白今则遥，翘首再三叹。

The Officials and Painters of the Qing Dynasty (1720-1772). The beginning of Xin, the word were pan, the word child security, No. um, Dasan, Late Jiaxuan, Jiangsu Wujin people. Qianlong ten-year champion, official to the Board of Punishments assistant minister, posthumous Wen Min. Calligraphy Sushi, beginning from the Chen Shu-painting freehand folded flowers and fruits, after the school landscape, the Dong Bangda guidance, then into a famous hand, dedicated to the court, as the painting leader. With Emperor Qianlong in the Magnolia paddock hunting, the emperor to guns tiger, life-dimensional map carved stone annals. Author of "Dasan set."

Qian Wei City since childhood smart, savvy, reading more than a thousand words a day. Ten years old to poetry, Qianlong three years (1738) 19-year-old held Shun-day provincial examination, Qianlong ten years (1745) 26-year-old Scholars first (scholar), granted Imperial Academy Xiuzhuan. Qianlong some unhappy, said: "(money) Victoria City, it is not clear that the lack of Qing Ye?" Fu Heng defended him for some time, he said, . Qianlong ordered life to try Chinese, Qianlong said his poems have flaws, Wen Fu is still smooth, still stay "Xiuzhuan" post. After the succession of the right in the permit, into the south of the study, full of life on the note officer, bachelor, bachelor, Bachelor of cabinet, courtesy, engineering, criminal department assistant minister. Qianlong nineteen years (1754) charge will try the examiner, teaching Shu Ji Shi. Twenty-two years of Qianlong (1757), the Ministry of Labor and assistant minister, charge Wu will try the examiner. Twenty-three years of Qianlong (1758), the city of Wei-dimensional points to the city of Pingcheng five points. He played on: Please consider the distance according to the factory set how much freight. Emperor Qianlong emperor, according to their request as soon as possible. Qianlong twenty-four years (1759), as the Jiangxi provincial examiners. Twenty-six years of Qianlong (1761), Department of corrections left assistant minister. Soon, granted the Zhejiang government. Qianlong twenty-seven years (1762), in the Board of Punishments assistant minister, Qian Weicheng petition: that there are loopholes in the statutes of the two things: First, where the murderer is committing crime, forgive homicide, but kill the offender Regardless of sin. But the case after the move of the body, anti-exile, which is a small end of the big. The second is to kill the arrest of the rape of the husband who fought to kill the theory; and not kill the arrest of the adulterer who regardless of the crime. According to this law will make the adulterer simply refused to arrest. These two items are subject to the lower part of the line, corrected to be corrected, corrected.
Qianlong thirty-four years (1769), Qian Weicheng sparse: to obtain the cabinet letter, please seal the ink volume and printed to prevent the ink by the provinces, seat number, breeding fraud. Then, the money was to be appointed to the city of Guizhou, to check the magistrate Willing Ling Liu bribe gold coins, and the former governor Fang Shijun and other bribery corrupt bills. He minivia private visit, breaking the network of relationships, and finally made the case clear. Reported to the court, so that criminals according to law on the crime. Thirty-seven years of Qianlong (1772), Qian's father died, he also can not afford a disease, relapse, died at home. Emperor special thanks to "Book" title, posthumous Wen Min, given the funeral as an example. Buried pregnant South Township. Author of "Dasan set", "Dasan poems" eleven volumes, "Dasan paper money" twelve volumes, "Ming Chun grass" seven volumes.

Qian Wei-cheng from childhood very happy painting, began to learn from the family grandmother Chen Shu freehand brushwork, hook description rendering, with the type of shape, gas together, the overall coordination. Later, the painter Dong Bangda guidance, learning landscape painting. The landscape painting, mountain meandering, flow fountain, smoke Margaret floating, water light waves. Composition well, quiet mood. Rock and more use Crack pen. His painting is far from the four Yuan Wang Gongwang, Ni Zan, Wu Zhen, Wang Meng, near the beginning of the Qing Dynasty four Wang namely Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Hui, Wang Yuanqi. . "Tong Yin painting," said his landscape painting, "pen meaning also copy imitation Lu Taiwan, Qiuhe deep, tree stone scenery, quite Zhenmei." Qian Wei-cheng to join the imperial examinations, few people know that he is good at painting and calligraphy, In the first, with the Qianlong of a hunting, Qianlong shot a tiger, so the city of Victoria ordered the creation of "shooting Tiger", after the completion of the work Qianlong praise again and again, and ordered the carved wood carved in the paddock, From the city of Victoria in the art world famous fame. In Qian Wei's paintings, with the edges and corners of the stone-shaped, double-hook less cracked trunk, and the center of the implied fine pen, light ink hook Cun lines, there Dong Bangda's pen, but he is more adept at the careful pen And green, ocher and white color, which also shows the early Qing Dynasty, "Four Kings" genre style, his work is often presented out of the atmosphere of the faction of the court of wealth. In Qianlong's collection catalog "Shiqu Baoji", the collection of works of more than 160 pieces of Victoria City, we can see Qianlong Emperor Qian Wei City works appreciation degree. The famous "nine autumn map volume".
Qian Wei city good at calligraphy, neat fine, "Zong Pan work book, calligraphy Dongpo." He is one of the four Song Dynasty calligraphy Su Dongpo. Put Cang Run, show bone heaven. Also to poetry, Du Shaoling for the case. Called "Qian Wenmin Shangshu, Shizong Shaoling, Su Wen-zhong." Can be described as poetry, books, painting one.