Zhang met Wen when he was working in Jiuquan as part of Gansu's Bureau of Geology.
Being described as a strong-willed woman, her personality is in strict contrast to that of her husband, who is fairly introverted and modest.
[2] Her private gemstone and jewellery business was successful, and after her husband attained high position, her fortune grew rapidly.
[3] According to the United States diplomatic cables leak, Wen has sought to divorce Zhang and is "disgusted" by how she has used his name to extract huge commissions in the diamond trade.
[4] As manager of the National Gemstone Testing Center in Beijing and the China Mineral and Gem Corporation a state-owned enterprise Zhang was in a pivotal position which gave her the power to facilitate or deny entry by global diamond firms such as Cartier or De Beers into the regulated Chinese market.