北京外国语大学
Yang Lan was born in 1968 in Beijing. Yang's mother was a civil engineer, and her father, Yan Mingfu, taught English literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Yan also served as the official translator for former Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. From 1980 to 1986, she studied at the High School affiliated to Beijing Polytechnic University (now known as the Beijing Institute of Technology), which is the main high school in Haidian District. From 1986 to 1990, she studied at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and received her bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature.