Zhang Wentong was born in September 1968 in Gaocheng, Shijiazhuang, Hebei. He received his undergraduate and postgraduate education in architecture at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, earning a bachelor's degree in 1991 and a master's degree in engineering in 1994. After beginning his professional career in July 1994, he worked in urban planning and land administration institutions in Haikou and Qiongshan, gaining early experience in municipal planning and land management.[2]
In late 1998, Zhang returned to his alma mater as a lecturer in architecture. From 1999 onward, he held a series of leadership posts in Wuhan, including deputy director of the Planning Office of Dongxihu District and director of its Land and Resources Planning Bureau. He later served as Vice Mayor of Dongxihu District, where he was involved in urban governance and regional development.[3]
Beginning in 2005, Zhang assumed senior positions in Wuhan's urban planning and land administration system, serving as deputy director of the Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Urban Planning and Land Resources and subsequently as director of the Wuhan Bureau of Land Resources and Planning. From 2013 to 2017, he was director of the management committee of the East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, overseeing planning and administrative affairs in one of China's major innovation hubs.[4]
Zhang continued his public service career as director of the Wuhan Changjiang New City Management Committee and later as Vice Mayor of Wuhan. From 2021 to 2022, he served as director of the Hubei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban–Rural Development, followed by appointments as director of the Hubei Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Provincial Chief Natural Resources Inspector.[5] During this period, he also became Chairperson of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association and joined the Association's central leadership in September 2006.[6][3]
In early 2023, Zhang was appointed Vice Governor of Hubei Province while continuing to serve as Vice Chairperson of the China Democratic National Construction Association.[7][8] In December 2025, he was appointed Vice Minister of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China.[9][10][11]