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Zhou Enlai

Zhou Enlai had his family roots in Shanyin, Shaoxing where the Zhous lived in "One-Hundred Years Hall" at the Baoyou Bridge. Zhou Enlai was born in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province.

Zhou Enlai went to the northeast China in 1910 with an aunt. Zhou Enlai went to Tieling primary school in Manzhou and then went to the Fengtian Second Public School in Shenyang. In 1913, Zhou Enlai went to Nankai Middle School in Tianjin. Then Zhou Enlai went to study in Japan and came back to China in 1919. After his return to China, Zhou Enlai served as editor-in-chief for United Students News in Tianjin and initiated a student organization called Juewu Society and acted as editor-in-chief of the magazine published by the Society. In 1920, Zhou Enlai went to France in a work-study program, where he joined a communist group in Paris in 1921. In 1922 Zhou Enlai went to Germany and acted as the chief of CPC branch for Chinese communists in Europe. Zhou Enlai came back to China in 1924 and acted as chief of the political section of Huangpu Military Academy. In the winter of 1926 Zhou Enlai went to Shanghai and in March 1927 he successfully led the Shanghai workers in their third armed uprising. In May 1927 he was elected member of CPC politburo and secretary of the military commission of CPC.

After the Communist Party broke away from the Kuomintang, he led the Nanchang Uprising in collaboration with He Long, Ye Ting and Zhu De. In 1928, Zhou Enlai was elected standing committee member of CPC politburo, chief of CPC organization ehe department, and secretary of the military committee of CPC. In December 1931 Zhou Enlai entered the Central Revolutionary Base and acted as secretary of CPC Soviet central bureau, commissar of the red army, and deputy director of the military committee of CPC central committee. In 1932 Zhou Enlai and Zhu De led the red army to defeat the fourth large-scale campaign started by the Kuomintang government to annihilate the communists in Jiangxi. In October 1934, Zhou Enlai led the red army in its long march.

At the Zunyi Meeting in January 1935, Zhou Enlai supported Mao Zedong's correct ideas and supported Mao to become the leader of CPC. After the Xi'an Incident, Zhou Enlai as the plenipotentiary representative flew to negotiate for a peace treaty with Chiang Kai-shek (1887~1975), who was forced to accept the CPC's proposal of "stopping the civil war and uniting to fight the Japanese invaders". After the victory of the Anti-Japan War, Zhou accompanied Mao Zedong to Chongqing to negotiate with Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) and signed the October 10 Treaty. Then Zhou Enlai acted as CPC representative in the three-man military coordination team. After Zhou Enlai returned to Yan'an in November 1946, Zhou Enlai acted as deputy chairman of the military committee of CPC central committee and chief of the general staff and led the Liberation War.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai was premier for decades. Zhou Enlai was respectively also foreign minister, vice chairman of first CPPCC national committee, chairman of the second and third CPPCC national committee, member of politburo standing committee for the eighth, ninth and tenth central committee of CPC national congresses, vice chairman of eighth central committee and the tenth central committee of the CPC, vice chairman of people's military committee and vice chairman of military committee of the CPC central committee.

Zhou Enlai served as one of the main leaders in charge of foreign affairs of the CPC as early as before the founding of the People's Republic of China; Guided the drafting of the Common Program of the CPPCC, which at the first time has stated the basic principles of the new China's foreign affairs in the form of legislation; Invented numerous methods to establish diplomatic ties with other countries according to their attitude toward the Taiwan Question in the initial period after the establishment of the new China, such as full diplomatic ties, semi-diplomatic ties, and non-diplomatic ties but with trade and economic links; Went to Moscow, Russia in February 1950 to assist Mao Zedong in negotiating with Stalin and forging with the Soviet Union the Treaty of Friendship and Mutual Assistance; Participated in the decision-making of China's War to Resist the US Aggression and Aid Korea in June the same year; Compelled the United Nations (UN) to agree to the Chinese government delegation attending the UN Security Council, during which the Chinese government delegation accused the United States of armed aggression into China's Taiwan in November.

Zhou Enlai held direct responsibility for the ceasefire of the Korean War and the signing of an armistice from July 1951 to July 1953; Put forward the guidelines for the construction of diplomatic teams, such as "take a firm stand, master policy, be adept in profession, and strictly abide by discipline"; Put forward the six diplomatic principles for the new China, such as "set up a new kitchen, lean to one side, entertain guests after cleaning up houses, Reciprocity, meet each other's needs, and rally with the world people'' at the first meeting of Chinese foreign envoys in 1952, on the basis of Mao Zedong's diplomatic thoughts; Made great efforts to popularize China's peaceful foreign policy after the ceasefire of the Korean War.

Zhou Enlai first put forward the five principles of peaceful coexistence, such as "mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, mutual non-interference into each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence'' when meeting Indian delegates visiting China in December 1953. Later, the five principles were written into the prelude of the Agreement between China and India on Trade ties and Communication between China's Tibet and India; advocated with the premiers of India and Burma the five principles of peaceful coexistence as the universal principle guiding international relations while Premier Zhou was on a visit to the two countries in 1954; Headed the Chinese delegation to attend the Geneva Conference held in April 1954 and held talks with parties concerned in the spirit of seeking truth from facts, the tactics of building international united front, and the five principles of peaceful coexistence, to solve the issue of the Indo-China, and won independence and international recognition for the Northern Viet Nam, Laos, and Cambodia; Headed the Chinese delegation to attend the Asian-African Conference held in April 1955, further expounded the five principles of peaceful coexistence, put forward the guidelines of seeking common ground while shelving differences, participated in the drafting the ten principles of the Bandung Conference, and extensively made friends with newly-independent Asian and African countries.

Zhou Enlai laid down by himself the guidelines for the settlement of historical issues, such as territorial demarcation and dual nationality with neighboring countries, thus stabilizing China's neighboring situation; Paid a visit to the Soviet Union, Poland, and Hungary in January 1957 after the occurrence of the Poland-Hungary Incident to correct mistakes made by the Soviet Union in its relations with other socialist countries and promote the solidarity within the socialist camp, and clearly pointed out that socialist countries should also base their relations upon the five principles of peaceful coexistence; Paid a visit to 28 Asian and African countries, such as Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, and Pakistan from late 1956 to early 1964, put forward the five principles of developing China's relations with Asian and African countries and the eight principles for China's foreign aids, and stressed that the provision of aids should be based upon the principle of equality, mutual benefit, and giving respect to the sovereignty of the aided countries without any political condition attached.

Zhou Enlai put forward different methods for China's development of relations with developed countries: such as developing non-governmental relations to promote the development of official relations with Japan, establishing diplomatic with Britain and the Netherlands at the level of charge d'affaires, establishing a full diplomatic relations with France with principles and flexibility combined, which made France the first Western power with diplomatic ties with China, sitting down and negotiating with the United States while firmly opposing its aggression and interference into China's internal affairs; Directly guided China-US talks at the level of ambassador in Geneva and Warsaw, Poland from 1958 to 1970, opening the door for Sino-US contacts.

Zhou Enlai grasped the rare opportunity provided by the US adjustment of its policy towards China and made the strategic decision with Mao Zedao to open Sino-US relations; Directly shepherded and chaired China's well-known "ping-pong'' diplomacy in 1971, received several secrete visits to China by Henry Kissinger, Assistant US National Security Affairs and the official visit to China by US President Nixon in 1972, and participated in the drafting and issuing of the Shanghai Joint Communiqué, and other diplomatic activities; Resolutely resisted the Soviet Union's attempt to control and interfere into China's internal affairs while trying to avoid the deterioration of bilateral ties between the two countries. Met with Alexsei Nikolayevich Kosygin, Prime Minister of the Soviet Union at the Beijing Airport in 1969 to ease tension between the two countries; Firmly exclude the Lin Biao and Jiang Qing Group's severe interference into China's foreign affairs and did utmost to correct the ultra-leftist mistakes in China's practical foreign affairs to retrieve and make up for losses.

Zhou Enlai was adept at combining diplomatic theories with practices, combining principle with flexibility, combining internationally-recognized diplomatic rules and means with China's traditions and philosophical thoughts, thus forming diplomatic thoughts and style with Chinese characteristics; Main works including Selected Works of Zhou Enlai (volume I and volume II). Main diplomatic works and remarks collected into Selected Diplomatic Works of Zhou Enlai; To consult Zhou Enlai Diplomatic Thought for more reference.

Zhou Enlai was an important leader of the Party and state for many decades. Zhou Enlai died of cancer on January 8, 1976.

Zhou Enlai loved Shaoxing, his hometown. In 1939 Zhou Enlai visited Shaoxing and paid respects to his ancestral tombs in the capacity of the vice director of political section of the national government's military committee. During his visit, Zhou Enlai publicized the policy of the united front against the Japanese Invaders and the thought of long-lasting war. Zhou Enlai came into wide contacts with local celebrities and visited the elder members of his family in Shaoxing. Today, Zhou Enlai's ancestral residence Longevity Hall at 19 Labor Road in Shaoxing has been restored and is an exhibition hall for Zhou's historical deeds.