Feng Menglong
A native of Tongshan 銅山 (present day Xuzhou) in Jiangsu province, Zhang came from a family with no connections and little detail is known of his life. At the age of 26, bitter at having failed the local examinations five times, Zhang turned to the task of editing and commenting on "Jin Ping Mei". He was inspired by the example of the late-Ming dynasty writer and critic Feng Menglong in pursuing publishing and editing as an alternative to an official career, and persuaded by Feng's opinion that "Jin Ping Mei" was the Diyi Qishu (First Masterpiece).