Shanghai Film Studio
Trained as a carpenter, Zhang's cinematic career began when he joined the Shanghai Film Studio in the mid-1970s as an actor. Upon his graduation in 1982, Zhang directed the children's film, "Red Elephant", with his classmates, Tian, and Xie Xiaojing, and helped the studio head Wu Yigong direct the 1987 West German co-production, "The Tribulations of Young Master". Beginning with 1988's "Kidnapping Karajan", Zhang has carved himself a niche with urban comedies, often based in the city of Shanghai.