Zhang Dian (1930), also known as Zhang Dianchen (张殿宸), was born in Changli, Hebei Province. In 1951, he graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Lu Xun Academy of Arts (the predecessor of the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts). In the same year, he was assigned to be the art editor of the Northeast Literature and Art (东北文艺). In 1952, he was transferred to work in the art studio of the Northeast Pictorial (东北画报). In December 1953, he started working as a photographer for the pictorial. He won an honorary award of the Netherlands' World Press Photo Exhibition in 1963.