After graduating through the Bayi youth team he would move to Beijing Guoan in 2004 to begin his professional football career.
[1] A squad player at first he would show his attacking instincts when he scored his debut league goal against Inter Shanghai on 11 September 2005, in a 3–1 victory.
[3] On 3 July 2014, Yan transferred to Chinese Super League side Harbin Yiteng.
[6] On 5 February 2015, Yan transferred to China League One side Beijing Enterprises Group.
[8] He made his debut in a league game on 4 June 2022 against Henan Songshan Longmen in a match that ended in a 2–2 draw.