Zhang was born in
Beijing, in August 1961. After resuming the college entrance examination in 1979, he was accepted to
Beijing University of Technology, majoring in electrical machines. After graduating in 1983, he was assigned to Beijing Electric Appliance Research Institute, where he moved up the ranks to become deputy director in May 1993 and director in February 1994. Since 1998, he briefly worked as senior executive at Beijing Transformer Factory, Beijing Electromechanical Industry Holding (Group) Co., Ltd., and Beijing Jingcheng Electromechanical Holding Co., Ltd. ==Career in Beijing==