Zhang was from Neijiang, Southwest China's Sichuan province, and became known at a young age for his capability in replicating classical Chinese artworks. In the 1920s, he became active in the cultural scene in Beijing, where he was recognized as a representative artist of southern China.

Zhang left the Chinese mainland in the 1950s, and lived in Argentina, Brazil and the United States before returning to China, settling in Taiwan in 1978. He ingeniously combined Chinese painting styles and methods of different periods, according to Xie, the curator.