Zhang Dejiang, ethnic Han, native of Tai'an, Liaoning Province, born in November 1946. Joined the CPC in January 1971 and began working in November 1968. Graduated from the Department of Economics, Kim Il Sung University, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). With a university education.

Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee.

1968-1970: Worked as an educated youth sent to the countryside at Taiping Brigade, Luozigou Commune, Wangqing County, Jilin Province.

1970-1972: Member of the Publicity Group of Wangqing County Revolutionary Committee, Jilin Province, and secretary of its Communist Youth League branch.

1972-1975: Student of Yanbian University majoring in the Korean language.

1975-1978: Deputy secretary of the general Party branch committee of the Department of the Korean Language, Yanbian University, member of the standing committee of its Party Committee and vice chairman of its Revolutionary Committee.

1978-1980: Student of the Department of Economics of Kim Il Sung University, DPRK and secretary of the CPC branch committee of Chinese students studying at the university.

1980-1983: Member of the standing committee of the Party Committee and president of Yanbian University.

1983-1985: Deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Yanji, and concurrently member of the standing committee of the CPC Committee of Yanbian Prefecture, Jilin Province.

1985-1986: Deputy secretary of the CPC Committee of Yanbian Prefecture, Jilin Province.

1986-1990: Vice Minister of Civil Affairs and deputy secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

1990-1995: Deputy secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and concurrently secretary of the CPC Committee of Yanbian Prefecture.

1995-1998: Secretary of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee and chairman of the Standing Committee of the Jilin Provincial People's Congress.

1998-2002: Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

2002-: Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and secretary of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee.

Alternate member of the Fourteenth CPC Central Committee, member of the Fifteenth through Seventeenth CPC Central Committees, and Political Bureau member of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth CPC Central Committees.