Zhang was born on the 19th day of the 7th lunar month in 1889, in Jining, a city in the northern Shandong province.

The 17th patriarch, Lu Zhongyi, heard the conduct of Zhang and told him to join the organisation in Jining.

The most widely accepted version in Western literature states that Zhang took Sun Suzhen as his second wife in 1930.

The Eastern account, however, states that he married her in name only, since it was inappropriate at the time for an unmarried woman and a man to be seen traveling around alone together, which they often did to carry forth their mission.

Under the Second Sino-Japanese War, Yiguandao survived and spread rapidly in central China, the cult's apocalyptic beliefs and strong mystical elements attracting many.

He died on the 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, on 29 September 1947, in the city of Chengdu in Sichuan province while the fuji ceremony is ongoing.

It is only the divine revelation from the Venerable Mother that the audience present realized about Zhang's imminent death later.

His remains were transported via air to Hongqiao Airport, Shanghai and was later buried in Nanping Hill, Hangzhou.