Coach Zhang was born and raised in Beijing. At the age of 9, she was selected to begin Wushu training with the prestigious Beijing Wushu Team under the guidance of Coach Wu Bin. After successfully completing her one-year probation with the team, Zhang proceeded to secure her place in Wushu history. Her speed allowed her to become the first woman to perform with the men on the team. At the age of 14, she defeated a 30 year old champion.

In 1975, the Team won the all around championship in national competition. This victory brought national renown to the team. During the 1970s, as the China Wushu Team toured Japan, the Philippines, several European nations, and the United States, Zhang, a Good Will Representative for the Chinese Government, garnered 8 gold medals in National competitions and was ranked among the top 3 competitors on the Team. She was especially noted and admired for her speed and precision in executing techniques.

Coach Zhang Guifeng’s great success as a competitor influenced the decision of the team administrators to have her start training as a coach. Zhang’s coaching successes are as remarkable as her competition victories.

Initially coaching at the probationary level, Coach Zhang had 90% of her students advance to higher ranked teams. This achievement led to her appointment as coach of the female athletes at the entry level for the professional team.

In the mid 1980s, Zhang Guifeng met and married Christopher Pei and moved with him to the United States. Zhang’s Wushu career continued as she became coach of the U.S. Wushu Team in 1985, 1986 and 1988. A member of this team placed 2nd in overall international competition in each of those years. In 1988, Coach Zhang received the Prestigious "Best Coach of the Year Award" from the International Wushu Federation.

Zhang Guifeng’s coaching took a hiatus with the birth of her daughters, Diana in 1990 and Joana in 1992. In the mid 1990’s, Coach Zhang came back to Wushu and formed 'Team One'; a group of students selected and trained in a manner similar to the way she was trained as a member of the Beijing Wushu Team.

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