When the "native soil" art movement began, Yang continued as before seeking his themes from nature. Though he loved his "native soil," he felt that meant loving his friends and society and didn't mean exclusively painting old farms and the like.
鄉土運動起來了，楊三郎依舊還是在大自然中表達他的感動，他覺得鄉土是他熱愛的，一個人能關心朋友，關心社會，才能稱得上是愛鄉，而非僅止於將老農、古厝入畫。