Yang is a native of Chixi County in Guangdong. He stu- died painting in his teens. He met Gao Jianfu in Hong Kong when he was 21, with Gao's encouragement, he went to study in Japan for three years. He returned in 1938 and held exhibitions in Hong Kong and South- east Asia. And he met Xu Beihong in Singapore.
When he returned from the tour, he set up the Xie She jointly with Gao Jianfu and Feng Kanghou. His acquaintance with Gao enhanced his understanding of the art of the Lingnan School. Later he formed the Jinshe Painting Society with Gao Jian- fu, Chen Shuren, Zhao Shaoang and others, and held joint exhibitions with great success. Yang has held many exhibitions in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, the US and Canada.
In 1970, Yang set up the Chun- feng Painting Society in Hong Kong, and trained many students. In 1984, he went to give talks in many US universities with Guan Shanyue, and sketched at the same time. He has travelled extensively a over the world.
Yang's paintings are based on the style of the Lingnan School. He paints animals, flowers-and-birds, fig- ures as well as landscapes. He ex- cels in capturing the expressions and state of mind, displaying a very unique style. His calligraphy of the inscriptions also match the mood of the paintings perfectly. Yang has set- tled in Vancouver, Canada several years ago.
