 He nonetheless studied with the eminent historian Chen Yinke, who supervised his thesis.Other professors and influences included Qian Mu, Lei Haizong, and Tao Xisheng in Chinese studies, and in English, Ye Gongchao (George Yeh).Yang also benefited from instruction in the Japanese language from Qian Daosun, whom Yang later scorned for becoming a puppet administrator for the Japanese after 1938.