211,805 profiles ranked

Zhou Enlai

1st Premier of the People's Republic of China · China · Politicians · Lived 1898 to 1976 · aged 77

Zhou Enlai is read about 3,239 times a day, in 85 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 21 October 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 396 days, one point a day.

Something wrong?
Compare

He was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China for twenty-seven years, the diplomat who opened the door to Nixon, and the man who tried to temper the chaos of the Cultural Revolution from the inside. His death in 1976 triggered grief so vast it ignited a riot against the Gang of Four.

PoliticiansPoliticianPoliticsChinaAsia20th Century

A life in dates

1976Died8 January 19761973“China is an attractive piece of meat coveted by all … but very tough, and for years no one has been able to bite into it.”In their words1 September 1973To the Chinese Communist Party Congress, as quoted in The New York Times (1 September 1973)

“The awakening and growth of the Third World is a major event in contemporary international relations.”In their words28 August 1973As quoted in Report To The Tenth National Congress Of The Communist Party Of China (28 August 1973)

1957DeshikottamAward1955“The peoples of Asia and Africa created brilliant ancient civilizations and made tremendous contributions to mankind.”In their words19 April 1955As quoted at speech in the Plenary Session of the Asian-African Conference (19 April 1955)

“Now first of all I would like to talk about the question of different ideologies and social systems.”In their words19 April 1955Supplementary Speech at the Plenary Session of the Asian African-Conference (19 April 1955)

1950“Today the first unification of the Chinese people has emerged.”In their wordsOctober 1950"Chinese People Will not Tolerate Aggression" (October 1950)

1937“The Japanese aggressors have driven deep into our country and disaster is imminent. Fellow-countrymen, arise and unite as one! Our great, ancient Chinese nation is indomitable.”In their words15 July 1937As quoted in "Communist Co-Operation by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China" (15 July 1937)

1933First Class Red Star MedalAward1898Born5 March 1898

Also in Deutsch

Photos 12

Zhou Enlai (1912)Zhou Enlai (1912)Zhou Enlai as a student in Nankai Middle SchoolZhou Enlai as a student in Nankai Middle SchoolA young Zhou Enlai (1919)A young Zhou Enlai (1919)Zhou during his time in France (1920s)Zhou during his time in France (1920s)Zhou Enlai as the director of the Political Department at Whampoa Military Academy (1924)Zhou Enlai as the director of the Political Department at Whampoa Military Academy (1924)Chiang Kai-shek (center) and Zhou Enlai (left) with cadets at Whampoa Military Academy (1924)Chiang Kai-shek (center) and Zhou Enlai (left) with cadets at Whampoa Military Academy (1924)

In their own words 9

,
Zhou Enlai
,
9 statements, newest first

  1. China is an attractive piece of meat coveted by all … but very tough, and for years no one has been able to bite into it.

    Sep 1, 1973, To the Chinese Communist Party Congress, as quoted in The New York Times (1 September 1973), Own words

  2. The awakening and growth of the Third World is a major event in contemporary international relations.

    Aug 28, 1973, As quoted in Report To The Tenth National Congress Of The Communist Party Of China (28 August 1973), Own words

  3. For us, it is all right if the talks succeed, and it is all right if they fail.

    Oct 5, 1971, On President Richard Nixon’s visit to China (5 October 1971), as quoted in Simpson's Contemporary Quotations (1988) edited by James Beasley, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Awards

Deshikottam1957
First Class Red Star Medal1933
People's Liberation Army Strategist
Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta

Family

Zhou Enlai

Partners

Is this everyone?

Only relatives with a profile here are drawn, so a family can be larger than this. A line here can also be wrong.

Correct this family

About this person

Zhou Enlai rose as a revolutionary alongside Mao Zedong, helping the Communist Party seize power and then serving as Premier from October 1949 until his death in January 1976. He was foreign minister through the 1950s, advocating peaceful coexistence with the West and attending the 1954 Geneva and 1955 Bandung conferences; he later orchestrated Richard Nixon's 1972 visit. While Mao turned inward during the Cultural Revolution, Zhou ran the state's daily machinery and worked to shield others from the Red Guards, earning quiet loyalty. In 1973 the 10th Central Committee elected him First Vice Chairman, making him Mao's designated successor after Liu Shaoqi and Lin Biao had both fallen, but he spent his final years locked in struggle with the Gang of Four. His last public appearance was at the 4th National People's Congress on 13 January 1975; he died a year later. The mourning crowds in Beijing turned their rage on the Gang, sparking the 1976 Tiananmen Incident, and though Hua Guofeng inherited Mao's mantle, Zhou's ally Deng Xiaoping eventually took control.

Country
China
Category
Politicians
Type
Politician
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1898 to 1976 · aged 77

In common with Zhou

Elem KlimovAlso in And Still I Believe (1974)Marlen KhutsievAlso in And Still I Believe (1974)Peng DehuaiBoth received First Class Red Star MedalLin BiaoBoth received First Class Red Star MedalZhu DeBoth received First Class Red Star Medal

Politicians from China 1

Jiang Zemin66.7

Fame.am measures public visibility signals. It does not measure human value, talent, morality, or credibility.