During the war with Japan she performed to support the national effort to resist the Japanese invasion.

The director Sun Yu cast her as a double agent in the film Baptism of Fire.

[3] In 1963, Zhang won Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress for her household character in comedy Li Shuangshuang.

[2] She is considered to be of the "four great drama actresses" in China (四大名旦), along with Bai Yang, Shu Xiuwen and Qin Yi.

She served on the National Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference three times.