Minutes later, her mother was taken to safety too, providing rare good news in this shattered city.
'It is very moving. It's a miracle brought about by us all working together,' said Madam Sun Guoli, the fire chief of nearby Chengdu.
Madam Sun was present for much of the 50-hour operation which involved about 35 firemen.
Ms Zhang and her mother were trapped about 6m high in a pile of concrete slabs and other debris after their six-storey apartment block collapsed.
Both women looked shaken but were not seriously injured when they were finally brought out.
'We are very happy. We have been standing here shouting for two days,' said relative Pan Jianjun.
ASSOCIATED PRESS, REUTERS