[7] Zhang ventured next to the horror genre in the Curse of the Deserted, where she played a college student scoping out a haunted house.

[9] In 2012, Zhang was cast in the role of Qian Xuesen's wife, Jiang Ying in the biopic of the author.

[10] She then starred in the film adaptation of the Chinese literary classic White Deer Plain written by Chen Zhongshi.

[14] In 2014, Zhang played a supporting role in Peter Chan's film Dearest, receiving acclaim for performance as a mother who lost a child.

[15] In 2015, Zhang was cast alongside Brandon Routh in Lost in the Pacific, a sci-fi action adventure film directed by Vincent Zhou.

[17] The Mermaid broke the Chinese box office record and revived Zhang's waning film career.