Yang Ziqiang (1929) was born in Huxian County, Shaanxi Province. In 1950, he was admitted to the Fine Arts Department of Northwest Art College (later changed to Northwest Art College, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts, Xi'an Academy of Fine Arts). After graduating in 1953, he stayed on to teach at the school. In 1956, he enrolled in a short-term study in the stage art class of the Beijing Central Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera, the Art History Research Office of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the Chinese Painting Department of the East China Branch of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Later, he returned to the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. He was named a lecturer in 1960, and in 1963, he was appointed as the deputy head of the Academic Affairs Office. In 1967, he was transferred to the Shaanxi Provincial Exhibition Hall (formerly the Class Education Exhibition Hall) as art team leader, business section manager, exhibition hall curator, consulting and other positions until his retirement in 1990.