He joined the PLA in 1970, serving as an ordinary soldier in the Jinan Military Region.

[1] In 2008, he replaced Lieutenant General Wang Jitang as commander of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison.

[1][2] In October 2012, Zhang Shibo was promoted to commander of the Beijing Military Region.

[1] On 31 July 2015, Zhang Shibo was promoted to general (shang jiang), the highest rank for Chinese military officers in active service.

[3] In 2017, Zhang Shibo authored a book that spoke of the potential for biological warfare to include "specific ethnic genetic attacks.