Yang Muzhi graduated from the Chinese Language and Literature Department of Peking University (PKU), has held prominent positions including Vice Minister of the General Administration of Press and Publication, Senior Editor at Zhonghua Book Company, President and Party Committee Secretary of China Publishing Group, and served as a delegate to the 4th and 10th National People's Congresses, where he was also a member of the Education, Science, Culture, and Public Health Committee.  

Since 1990s, he has overseen several major national publishing projects, serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Library of Chinese Classics , Chair of the Working Committee for the Revision Project of the Twenty-Four Histories and Draft History of Qing , Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) , and Editor-in-Chief of Research on the History of Chinese Publishing . His scholarly works include Essays on Publishing , The Art of Editing , On Editorial Competence , and My Publishing Vision . He has also edited and compiled influential reference works such as Comprehensive Dictionary of Chinese Reference Books , On the Collation and Publishing of Ancient Texts , and General Catalogue of Chinese Ancient Texts , etc.