Witnessing the turmoil at the end of the Qing dynasty, Zhang was attracted to the reformist views of Liang Qichao, and he joined the group advocating constitutional monarchy for China.

In 1911, Zhang was vice-chairman of the committee of shareholders that opposed the planned nationalization of the projected Sichuan-Hankou railroad.

[2] 1938，After the Second Sino-Japanese War began in 1937, Zhang was appointed a member of the National Political Assembly [zh].

In the spring of 1949, he escaped with the aid of Chinese Communist Party agents and traveled to Beijing to assist in forming the new government.

Zhang held this position until 1954, when the government was reorganized to have only one vice-chairman, at which time he was made a Vice Chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.