[2] Yang was born in Dalian, Fengtian province (now Liaoning), Manchukuo, on February 8, 1941, while his ancestral home in Rongcheng, Shandong.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1959, he was accepted to the Opera House of Dalian Song and Dance Troupe.

In 1962, he entered the Central Military Commission Political Work Department Song and Dance Troupe, where he studied under Li Mengxiong, Yang Huatang and Shen Xiang.

In 1994, he sang the theme song of the 1994 historical television series Romance of the Three Kingdoms, adapted from Luo Guanzhong's classical novel of the same title.

[3] In 1995, he sang a song titled "Sleepless Tonight" at the CCTV New Year's Gala.