While writing Watercolors, Yang borrowed the Tate Gallery's Paint and Painting from George Zhang, the president of New Telecom Enterprise, an importer of painting supplies. The book, which covered the development of paints and pigments, spurred Yang's interest in the history of watercolors, watercolor pigments, and papermaking.
為了寫《水彩藝術》，他向經營畫材進口的生展企業老闆張靜借閱英國倫敦泰特畫廊（Tate Gallery）出版的《顏料與畫》，這是本專門討論畫材顏料發展史的書，激發了他對水彩史與水彩材料學、紙張製作等的興趣。