She graduated from the Beijing Foreign Studies University, where she majored in Swahili.

In 1975, she was assigned to Tanzania, where she worked as a translator in the construction of the TAZARA Railway, linking Zambia's landlocked copper belt with Tanzania's coast, at the time China's most significant African investment.

[1] She also served as vice-chairwoman and secretary-general of the China-Africa Business Council of Tanzania.

In reaction to her conviction, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a public statement supporting the court decision and condemning illegal activities of Chinese nationals abroad.

[6] Yang has a daughter named Fei (非), which is short for "Feizhou" (非洲), the Chinese word for Africa.