Zhang was born in
Xiao County,
Anhui Province in January 1946. He graduated from the Anhui School of Banking with a concentration in credit and loans in 1966. He joined the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in August 1979. and studied briefly at the Anhui provincial CCP school (1980–1981). After graduation, Zhang began his career in finance, working first as accountant at the Chaoxian branch of the
People's Bank of China in Anhui. He rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the branch's general manager, before joining
Chao County government in 1981. Through the 1980s, he held various positions in the county and provincial governments, as well as in the nearby city of Wuhu, working mainly in economic- and planning-related positions. In 1992, he was named acting mayor of
Wuhu and was made full mayor the following year. Zhang was elevated to provincial-level positions in 1995 and, thereafter, held various high-level positions in Anhui, including assistant governor (1995–1996), vice governor (1996–1999), and deputy secretary of the CCP's Anhui Provincial Committee (1999–present). In January 2006, he was appointed secretary general of the State Council. In March 2008, he replaced Ma Kai as director of NDRC. Zhang served as an alternate of the
16th CCP Central Committee (2002–2007) and was named a full member of the
17th Central Committee (2007–2012) in October 2007. In March 2018, he was appointed deputy director of the
National People's Congress Education, Science, Culture and Public Health Committee. ==References==