Tan Yang started his football career when he joined Zhejiang Greentown's youth academy in 2003.
Halfway through the 2012 season, Hangzhou decided to bring back Tan and soon loaned him out to third-tier club Hebei Zhongji.
[8] This would be followed by his first goal for the club on 25 June 2016 in a league game against Hebei China Fortune FC that ended in a 1-0 victory.
[10] He would go on to be converted into a centre-back and captain of the team before he would aid them to promotion to the top tier at the end of the 2021 campaign.
[12] Tan made his debut for the Chinese national team in a 3–1 win against Palestine on 18 July 2009, coming on as a substitute for Qu Bo.