Qu Qiubai
In 1924, Zhang entered the sociology department of the left-wing Shanghai University, where Shen Zemin was an instructor and the early Communist leader Qu Qiubai was the department head. Zhang joined the CPC in November 1924, becoming one of the first female CPC members. She married Shen Zemin a year later. Under the leadership of Xiang Jingyu, Zhang and other women students established a night school for women workers in Shanghai, and organized a strike of silk workers in 1924. She also recruited some of the workers into the CPC.