He served as the Secretary General of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (minister-rank).
In 1977 he took part in rural labour in Pinggu County, Beijing, then went on to attend school at Beijing Economics College (later Capital University of Economics and Business), where he majored in accounting.
In November 2002, he was named auditor general of Beijing, then in February 2008, the head of the city's finance department.
In July 2015 he was promoted to Secretary General of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (minister-rank).
Yang's elevation to the secretary-generalship was seen as unusual since he was promoted from a regional to national level office.