In 1960, he was admitted to the student class of the Beijing Peking Opera Troupe (now the Beijing Peking Opera House), and was accepted as an apprentice by Ma Lianliang.[1]
Zhang portrayed Zhao Kuangyin in "Three Dozen Tao Three Springs" written by Wu Zuguang, which was made into a color Peking Opera movie.[2]
Zhang died on 3 January 2026, at the age of 78.[3]