Shen County
Zhang worked at Chengguan Hospital in Shen County, Shandong, and as a radio repairwoman for the local broadcast station. In the early 1980s, she toured China giving inspirational speeches, and became famous throughout the country. The Communist Party of China (CPC) found in her a new model for the Chinese youth, and waged a national campaign to publicize her life story. She joined the CPC in December 1982.