Zhang is a state-owned Chinese manufacturer that produces inexpensive in-house designs, and some heritage copies such as AK47 look-alikes.

 The manufacturing is now entirely based in China and Africa. In 2032 the company perfected DRM, the digital rifling mechanism that is now popular with many gun manufacturers.

 The armaments division was created in 2033 to bolster the stagnant agricultural economies of several African nations with high levels of Chinese investment. With factories in Africa being controlled by Beijing-based design and administration organizations, manufacturing quickly ramped up and the enterprise soon ranked among the most prolific armament manufacturers in the world.