Zhang Jian

Zhang Jian (张健), born June 19, 1961 in Beijing, is a Zhejiang University graduate who started his career by founding a real estate company and running a pharmaceutical factory in Shenzhen, before turning to film/TV investment and production.

Career overview

- Early 2000s

- 2001: Produced and directed his first work, 堆积情感 (Pile of Emotions/Accumulated Emotions), starring Liu Bei (刘蓓), Sun Chun (孙淳), Pu Cunxin (濮存昕), Xu Jinglei (徐静蕾).

- Subsequently shot the film version of 绝对情感 (Absolute Emotion), starring Chen Lin (陈琳), Liu Bei, etc.

- 2003: Produced the TV series 天堂鸟 (Paradise Bird), starring Liu Bei and Li Youbin (李幼斌).

- 2004: Participated as screenwriter for 海的誓言 (Oath of the Sea).

- 2005: Participated as screenwriter for 阳光下的冰器 (The Ice Tool Under the Sun).

- 2007: Served as producer for the TV series 庚子风云 (Gengzi Storm).

- 2010s

- 2010: Served as chief producer, screenwriter and producer on the anti-Japanese war drama 雪豹 (Snow Leopard), starring Wang? (the text lists Wen Zhang 文章, Tao Feifei 陶飞霏, Zhu Jie 朱杰, among others). It is regarded as one of the more successful anti-Japanese war dramas after 亮剑 (Liang Jian) and won multiple awards, including the 26th Golden Eagle Award for Outstanding TV Series.

- 2011: Produced and contributed to screenwriting and directing for 黑狐 (Black Fox), starring Zhang Ruoyun (张若昀), Liu Xiaofeng (刘小锋), Qiao Pengyue (乔鹏樾), regarded as a sister work to 雪豹.

- 2013: Continuously produced TV dramas 苍狼 (Grey Wolf), 风影 (Wind Shadow), 雳剑 (Lightning Sword), 恋歌 (Love Song), serving as executive producer and screenwriter; 雳剑 and 恋歌 were directed by him.

- 2014: Released the new Snow Leopard series 雪豹之坚强岁月 (Snow Leopard: The Tough Years), directed by him; won a TV drama Outstanding Works Award.

- 2015–2017

- 2015: Entered the variety and military genres; produced the large-scale military reality show 士兵突击之勇者奇兵 and directed the TV drama 黑狐 (Black Fox), serving as executive producer.

- 2016: Produced the anti-Japanese drama 黑狐之风影 (Black Fox: Wind Shadow), as executive producer.

- 2017: Produced the costume historical drama 霍去病 (Huo Qubing); served as executive producer and screenwriter, and also served as executive producer for the spy drama 灰雁 (Grey Goose). In the same year, he won the 11th National TV Production’s Top Ten TV Producers Award (第十一届全国电视制片业十佳电视剧制片人奖).

Other professional activities

- 2010: Registered Xi’an Mengzhou Film and Television Culture Communication Co., Ltd. (西安梦舟影视文化传播有限责任公司) in Xi’an.

Personal life

- Father: geologist Zhang Zhixin (张志新).

- Wife: Liu Bei (刘蓓), born November 13, 1967, an actress who has appeared in many works.

- Son: Zhang Ruoyun (张若昀), born 1988, actor; daughter-in-law Tang Yixin (唐艺昕), born December 9, 1987.

- Marital history: Married Huang Ming in 1986 and divorced in 1990; in 1992 he invested in and co-wrote the project 京都纪事 (Kyoto Chronicles) with Liu Bei; married Liu Bei in Beijing in 1994; separated again in 1999; remarried Liu Bei in 2007.

Controversies and court information

- 2021: Hangzhou Arbitration Commission ruled to terminate Zhang Jian and related entities’ cooperation agreement with Huace Media and to refund funds and penalties; Zhang Ruoyun repeatedly challenged the authenticity of signatures in related cases, but all challenges were rejected by the courts.

- From 2021 onward, Zhang Jian and related companies have frequently been listed as persons subject to enforcement (被执行人) with restricted consumer behavior information; amounts involved range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yuan. Courts involved include Haizhou (Haiyan) County Court and Beijing Chaoyang District People’s Court, with cases updated multiple times between 2021 and 2024.

Representative works (as screenwriter and producer, and other major roles)

- 风起大漠 (The Winds Rise in the Desert) — completed 2025; also served as director.

- 苍狼之浴血绝杀 (Grey Wolf: Blood-Soaked Decisive Kill) — 2024.

- 苍狼之绝命行动 (Grey Wolf: The Lethal Mission) — 2023.

- 雪豹之暗战天机 (Snow Leopard: Shadow War) — 2021; also director.

- 雪豹之虎啸军魂 (Snow Leopard: Tiger Roar, Army Spirit) — 2020.

- 雪豹坚强岁月 (Snow Leopard: The Tough Years) — 2014; also director and producer.

- 黑狐 (Black Fox) — 2011; also director and producer.

- 以及其他多部影视剧的制片、出品、编剧工作。

Notes

- Titles are given in both Chinese and their best-fit English renderings where possible; some titles are conventional translations used in the publicity for these works.

- The biographical and legal information reflects the data provided and may require update for any new developments.