Yang San-lang pursued impressionism, focusing on open-air painting and the change of shadows under sunlight as well as timing sequence. Apart from his emphasis on nature and the strength of the texture carried by the brushwork, the artist often used both brushes and knives to enrich the brushwork and reinforce the quality of and the paint's volume. Often, this one final touch highlighted the sense of reality and made the whole work alive.

Located at the border of Aomori Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, Lake Towada is a crater lake, 400-meter above sea level. The lakeside scenery is beautiful, with verdant tender shoots in the spring, red maple leaves in the fall, and magnificent snowfall in the winter. The natural landscape in four distinct seasons is reflected in the clear waters of the lake. Yang describes people strolling among the natural landscape beside the tranquil bluish lake. Little white sails in the distance seem to bridge the gap between men and mountains, while red maple leaves, lakes and mountains map out the front, middle and distant settings. Autumn is also a symbol of people's natural cycle of life and natural rhythms.

Yang devoted his whole life to the creation of art. In order to paint from real landscapes, he traveled across mountains and rivers both in China and abroad with an ardent love for art. In his later years, he was awarded "National Cultural Medal", the highest honor for symbolic art. His spirit deserves remembrance from the later generations.