The series gained over 1.5 billion views on Sohu TV, and earned praise for its storyline and his performance.

[21] In 2017-2018, Zhang took on the dual roles of Vladimir and Vershinin in the stage production Three Sisters & Waiting for Godot, a contemporary experimental theatrical play directed by Lin Zhaohua.

[25] He then starred as the male lead in historical epic Joy of Life based on the novel Qing Yu Nian by Mao Ni.

[28] For his outstanding performance in Joy of Life, Zhang earned his nomination for the Magnolia Award for Best Actor in a Television Series.

That same year, he teamed up once again with Joy of Life screenwriter Wang Juan, this time for the wuxia drama Sword Snow Stride.

[30] The series premiered on December 15, 2021 on the CCTV Drama Channel and simultaneously aired on Tencent Video.

After the airing of the series finale in January 2024, he published a heartfelt reflection essay on his Weibo account.

[38] When the TV series aired a year later, in May 2024, it achieved remarkable success, setting several records on Tencent Video, including the highest-ever popularity score.

[40] That same year, for his outstanding performance in Ordinary Greatness, Zhang earned his nomination for China TV Golden Eagle Award for Best Actor.