Today, March 5, marks the 119th birthday of Zhou Enlai. To commemorate this great man, we collected five historic photos from important moments in Zhou's life.
Zhou Enlai was born in Huai’an, Jiangsu Province, China on March 5, 1898, and died in Beijing on Jan. 8, 1976.
As the first premier and minister of foreign affairs of the People's Republic, he was a leading figure in the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China, and played a major role in China’s foreign relations and national affairs.
Former US President Richard Nixon often said Chairman Mao Zedong was responsible for making decisions, while Zhou Enlai was the person who put them into practice. For Chairman Mao, Zhou was a person he could depend on.
Zhou Enlai and his wife Deng Yingchao pose in this photo from the 1940s. /CFP Photo
Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai stand on a balcony at Tiananmen Rostrum in October 1963. /CFP Photo
China’s Premier Zhou at the Geneva Conference on April 27, 1954. /CFP Photo
President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai review the honor guard following Nixon's arrival at Peking Airport on February 21, 1972. /CFP Photo
People carry premier Zhou’s portrait to the Monument of the People’s Heroes in Beijing. Zhou Enlai died of cancer on January 8, 1976. /CFP Photo
