[citation needed] He spent most of his career in the South Sea Fleet (SSF), where he served as director of its ship training center, and commander of the 26th Speedboat Detachment.

He rose to the position of deputy chief of staff of the SSF by 2010 and attained the rank of rear admiral the same year.

[citation needed] From 4 March until 12 September 2010, Zhang commanded the PLA Navy's fifth Gulf of Aden anti-piracy task force to the seas near pirate-infested Somalia.

Before its return, the task force made official visits to Egypt, Italy, Greece, and Myanmar, and paid a port call in Singapore.

He served in the NSF for only a year, before being appointed Chief of Staff of the PLA Navy in January 2018, replacing vice-admiral Qiu Yanpeng.