[2] Zhang was born into a poor worker’s family in Nanjing, yet she dreamed to become a writer.

At the age of 16, she was dragged out of school and began working in a military factory that produced inter-continental missiles.

[3] In 2003, she was able to attend Goldsmiths, University of London, where she earned a master's degree in creative writing.

During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she served as a producer for the BBC crew reporting the games.

Zhang was married to Calum MacLeod, a British reporter for USA Today.