Zhang Biwu (1905-1987) was born in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province. At the age of 15, he went to Shanghai and worked in the Sincere and Wing On department stores. The calendar posters given out at the end of the year by the insurance department of Wing On aroused his interest in painting. After studying painting, he designed calendar posters himself.

After 1949, Zhang joined the Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House and became involved in designing propaganda posters, sometimes cooperating with Li Mubai and Jin Xuechen.