Yang was a graduate of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences with a master's degree in economics.

He completed a graduate degree from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in July 1985.

[1] On 26 December 2012 Yang's predecessor Han Zheng, who had been elevated to the position of Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai, resigned as mayor and Yang was appointed the acting mayor of Shanghai in place of Han.

[6] Unusual for an official of his rank, Yang was never a full nor alternate member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

[7] Yang died surprisingly on 12 April 2021 at Huashan Hospital due to heart failure.