He initially enrolled in l'institut Franco-chinois de Lyon, where he met his wife, fellow art student Chen Zhixiu.

In 1928, Chang moved to Paris to attend the prestigious École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA, the National School of Fine Arts).

[4] The next day, he discovered a large collection of Asian artwork being exhibited at the Guimet Museum which had been plundered by Western explorers from various sites in Dunhuang.

[3] These discoveries instigated Chang's lifelong interest in the Mogao Caves and would precipitate his decision to return to China despite the protestations of Chen Zhixiu, who hoped her husband would pursue his highly promising career as an artist in France.

Chang Shuhong's artworks and steadfast determination to the caves garnered public attention in China, and he became renowned as the “Guardian of Dunhuang”.