He was born in
Chaohu, Anhui, and attended the
Baoding Military Academy from which he graduated in 1916 as an
infantry officer. After his retirement he remained in Xinjiang. The whole time he had to deal with the
Ili Rebellion. , left to right: Zhang Zhizhong,
Mao Zedong,
Patrick J. Hurley,
Zhou Enlai and
Wang Ruofei In 1949, Zhang was made the chief negotiator of the Nationalists for peace talks with the Communists in Beijing. After the failure of the negotiations, he remained in Beijing and announced his withdrawal from the Kuomintang. After that, he was instrumental in persuading his close friend General
Tao Zhiyue (then the Nationalist Governor of
Xinjiang) to also defect to the Communists, an action which greatly helped in the mostly peaceful
incorporation of Xinjiang into the People's Republic of China.
Mao Zedong greatly appreciated Zhang's services and appointed him to high positions in the new People's Republic. Zhang Zhizhong served as Vice Chairman of the Northwest China Military and Political Committee (1949–1954), Vice Chairman of the National Defense Council (1954–1969) and Vice Chairman of the
National People's Congress (1965–1969). During the
Cultural Revolution, he managed to escape persecution due to the protection of
Zhou Enlai. He died on 6 April 1969, aged 78. ==Timeline of military career==