Zhang Xinwei

Zhang was born in May 1965 in Ruicheng County, Shanxi, China. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in July 1984 and began his career in July 1985. He studied mathematics at Shanxi University from 1981 to 1985, and later obtained a master's degree in political economy from Nankai University. He also earned a doctorate in management from the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.^[2]

Zhang started his professional career in academia at Shanxi Institute of Finance and Economics (later Shanxi University of Finance and Economics), where he rose from assistant lecturer to professor and held administrative positions including deputy director of the research office and director of the graduate department.^[1]

In 2002, Zhang transitioned to government service as director of the Taiyuan High-tech Industrial Development Zone Administrative Committee at the sub-provincial level. He later concurrently served as Party Secretary of Jinyuan District in Taiyuan.^[3] In 2010, he was appointed vice governor-level official as deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology, eventually becoming its Party secretary and later department head.^[4]

In October 2020, Zhang was appointed deputy Party secretary of Taiyuan and acting mayor, and in February 2021 he was formally elected mayor.^[5] He served in this role until December 2024.^[6] He subsequently became deputy director of the Economic Committee of the Shanxi Provincial CPPCC, and in January 2026 was appointed chair of its Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.^[5]