Zhang Rui (1920-2016), the former head of the Opera Troupe of the Nanjing Military Region, a famous Chinese erhu performer and composer, was born in Kunming, Yunnan in 1920. He studied ethnic musical instruments with his father since childhood, and later studied erhu under Chen Zhenduo. Mr. Liu Tianhua passed on the disciples again. His representative works include opera music "Red Clouds", erhu music "River Rising, Sand and Waves Sand", "Eighteen Streams of Cangshan Mountain Song", "Yimeng Mountain", "In the Forest", etc. He died of illness in Nanjing on June 9, 2016 at the age of 96.

Zhang Rui's father is a folk musician who can play a variety of national musical instruments such as zheng, xiao and qin. He studied with his father since childhood, and under his father's instruction, he was able to play Erhu and Jinghu proficiently at the age of 12. Later, he studied under Chen Zhenduo at the Chongqing National Conservatory of Music, majoring in Erhu.

Since 1937, Zhang Rui has been engaged in anti-Japanese national salvation singing activities, and has studied composition and conducting in the Chongqing Music Instructor Training Class. In 1942, he entered the Chongqing National Conservatory of Music, where he studied erhu from Chen Zhenduo and graduated. Zhang Rui's erhu vibrato is unique, with a full bow and a strong and clear pronunciation. He is good at playing Liu Tianhua's works, and has produced an album of ten pieces of Liu Tianhua's erhu works played by him. He has a deep research on the performance art of the erhu, and from the perspective of aesthetics, he proposes twelve beautiful wishes for the performance of the erhu.

Zhang Rui's main works include: opera music "Hongxia", erhu music "Eighteen Streams of Cangshan Mountains", "In the Forest", "Yimeng Mountain", erhu music collection "Rainbow Collection", solo album "Butterfly Spring". Author of "Zhang Rui Erhu Etude" a book.