Professor Zhang Wenxian, born in 1951 in Henan Province in central China, obtained his master degree of law from Jilin University in 1982. He had been visiting professor in Columbia University and senior visiting professor in Law School of Washington University in 1980s. Prof. Zhang got his doctor degree of Philosophy from Jilin University in 2000. His field of interest is jurisprudence and western philosophy of law.

In June 2004, he was appointed Chairperson of the University Council of Jilin University. Prior to that, he had been working in Jilin University as a full professor and Dean of Law School (1988-1994), Vice President of Jilin University (1994-2002) and Chairperson of the University Council of Jilin University (2002-2004).

Other titles Professor Zhang Wenxian holds include: Member, National Coordination Committee of Judiciary Examination; Special Consultant, People’s Supreme Court of China; Executive member, International Association for Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (IVR); Member, Academic Degree Committee of the State Council; Member, State Council Discipline Appraisal Group for Law Science; Vice Chair, China Law Society; Head, Group for Law Science, Social Science Committee, Education Ministry, China; Chair, Guidance Committee of Law Science Teaching, China Education Ministry; Member, Expert Committee for the Development  of  Academic Disciplines and Specialties; and Adjunct Professor in Peking University, Nanjing University, Nanjing Normal University, Renmin University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, East China College of Politics and Law, Dalian Maritime University and Macao University of Science and Technology.