[10] Yang was selected the representative of 17th CCPC National Congress,[11] he currently serves as the vice director, and a coach in Jiangxi Water Sports Administration Center on October 8, 2008,[7] also the secretary of communist party committee.

[12] Yang's first major international success came at the 2002 Asian Games where, aged only 18, he won two gold C-2 medals with Wang Bing.

The final was much closer with less than a second separating the first eight contenders but Meng and Yang again came out on top, beating the Cuban pair to win the gold medal.

At the 2005 World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia he raced over all three distances, despite the new compressed schedule, and finished sixth (500 m), seventh (1000 m) and tenth (200 m).

Meng and Yang defended their Olympic title four years later despite their boat capsizing at the finish line after their win.