[1] Zhang first came to prominence at national level with a win at the 1993 Chinese Athletics Championships.

[2] He gained selection for China for the 1994 Asian Games and won the gold medal with a mark of 58.78 m (192 ft 10 in), beating his compatriot Ma Wei into second place.

[3] He declined at national level in the subsequent season's, with Ma Wei and Li Shaojie becoming the country's leading discus men.

[4] With another strong throw of 61.14 m (200 ft 7 in), he finished behind Li at the 8th Chinese National Games later that year, although both were beaten by the more experienced Yu Wenge.

He fell short of his 1994 performance and left the competition with the bronze medal, while Li succeeded him as Asian Games champion.