Born in Guangzhou and raised in Shenzhen, Ms Yang later moved to Hong Kong to attend Yew Chung. She was born with profound hearing loss, with a hearing loss of 107 decibels in both ears. She began wearing hearing aids at the age of three and received cochlear implants in her right ear in 2014 and her left ear in 2023.

For Ms Yang, drawing has been more than a hobby. It has been an important way to observe the world and express herself. Because hearing loss affected her early communication, she came to rely heavily on visual perception, and painting gradually became a means of connecting with the world around her.

Through drawing, she developed focus, observation and creativity. Her artwork also helped her to be seen and understood by others, gradually building her confidence in expressing herself.

Ms Yang reflected on her journey from secondary school to Tsinghua University and the University of Sheffield, and on how different educational environments helped her develop self-understanding, broaden her perspective and move beyond her comfort zone.

She also spoke about the importance of family support. Describing her relationship with her mother, she said that they had grown and empowered one another. Her mother’s support played a pivotal role in Ms Yang’s development, while Ms Yang’s birth and upbringing also prompted her mother to embark on a new journey of personal growth.

Ms Yang’s mother left her university teaching position to devote 14 years to raising and supporting her children. At the same time, she continued learning, published two books and eventually made a mid-career transition, sharing her experience of family education with a wider audience.

During the session, Ms Yang offered parents a reflection drawn from her own experience:

“When one door closes, another opens. Over more than three decades of growing up with hearing loss, I was never really competing with others. Instead, I built my confidence stroke by stroke with a paintbrush and worked towards living a life of my own value. Life is more resilient than you think.”

One parent, Nannan Xu, shared:

“I was deeply moved by Ms Yang’s sharing today. As someone with hearing loss, she communicates with such clarity and confidence, while also dedicating herself to promoting inclusion through arts and aesthetic education. Her commitment, effort and sense of social responsibility are truly inspiring. There were so many feelings I could not draw, so I decided to write them down instead: I hope that my child and I can both become better versions of ourselves.”