Chang was born in Houshan Township, Jing County, Anhui Province, in 1928 in a family home on about 10 acres of land. Jing County was a small county with a long history, but its residents were largely illiterate and it had never produced anyone famous.
1928 年，張拓蕪出生在安徽涇縣后山鄉一棟 4 甲祖宅裡；涇縣是一個古老小縣，住民多不識字，沒出過什麼大人物。