上山下乡运动
Yang was born in Anqiu, Shandong Province in March 1957. After graduating from high school, he participated in the Down to the Countryside Movement launched by Mao Zedong. Yang was sent to Liaocheng, then he worked in Jinan Military Region as a factory worker for an air force production plant. After the resumption of National College Entrance Examination, he entered Southwest University of Political Science &amp; Law, where he majored in criminal investigation.