His numerous volumes of poetry, prose and essays, including YI, Where the Sea Stands Still, Concentric Circles, Riding Pisces: Poems from Five Collections, have been translated into more than 25 languages. He has been awarded many poetry prizes in China and other countries, among others the International Capri Prize 2014, the Tian Duo (Heavenly Bell) prize for the long poem 2013 and the Nonino International Literature Prize 2012. Yang Lian has been elected a board member of PEN International, has taught at several Chinese universities, was a DAAD fellow in Berlin and a fellow of Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.