She is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts ever on the balance beam, for which she created a move known as the "Yang Bo", which is rated as a D element in the Code of Points.

Although widely renowned for her work on beam, Yang often had difficulty with consistency which prevented her from medalling at several major competitions.

At the 1989 World Championships in Stuttgart, Yang performed an innovative beam routine during the team and individual all-round competitions, where she placed 5th.

She also qualified in 6th place to the balance beam finals, where she fell during her layout series, though was able to stick the landing of her dismount.

Her teammate, Lu Li and American gymnast Shannon Miller tied with a 9.912 to win a silver medal while Tatiana Lysenko won gold with a 9.975.