[2] He returned to Dalian the following season where he continued to be a key member of the squad and would go on to become their captain.
On 18 December 2012, Zhang transferred to fellow Chinese Super League side Guangzhou R&F.
[4] On 12 November 2018, Zhang Yaokun publicly announced his retirement from professional football right after Wuhan Zall successfully promoted to Chinese Super League.
Zhang was called-up to the Chinese national team for the 2004 AFC Asian Cup where he made several appearances coming on as a substitute and playing in numerous positions in defence.
[5] He continued to be a regular for the squad that qualified for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup and he and Li Weifeng were the first-choice centre back pairing during the tournament.