Zhang is a Chinese director, producer and screenwriter, a representative of the Chinese fifth film generation along with Kaige Chen and Zhang Junzhao. In the beginning of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, he was forced to leave school and work in a textile factory for seven years. After Mao Tse Tung’s fall and the reopening of the university, in 1978 Zhang passed the exam for the film academy in Peking but was denied enrollment due to his age (he was 27 at the time). After sending an appeal to the Ministry of Culture, he was accepted and graduated in 1982. Afterwards he started to work as director of photography for Guangxi Film Studio, and made his directing debut in 1987 with the film Red Sorghum (Hong gao liang), which won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 1988. Then he made the unnoticed Daihao meizhoubao (Codename Cougar, 1989) and then Ju Dou (1990), the first Chinese film ever nominated for an Oscar. Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua, 1991) was banned in China but became hugely successful internationally. The Story of Qiu Ju (Qiu Ju da guan si, 1992) won the Golden Lion in Venice. His other famous films include the drama Huozhe (To Live, 1994), the crime film Shanghai Triad (Yao a yao yao dao waipo qiao, 1995), romantic drama The Road Home (Wo de fu qin mu qin, 1999.), Not One Less (Yi ge dou bu neng shao, 1999) won him his second Golden Lion, and the two famous historical action films Hero (Ying xiong, 2002) and House of the Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu, 2004.). With the film Riding Alone (Qian li zou dan qi, 2005) he returned to the drama genre, and in the historical film Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia, 2006) he collaborated again with actress and former partner Li Gong. He also directs in theatre.