Zhou Enlai, << joh ehn ly >> (1898-1976), also spelled Chou En-lai, became premier and foreign minister of China in 1949, when the Communists won control of the country. He was replaced as foreign minister in 1959 but until his death on Jan. 8, 1976, remained China’s most influential spokesman in international affairs.
Zhou was born in Jiangsu (Kiangsu) Province. He attended schools in China, Japan, and France, and he became a spokesman for the international Communist movement. In 1931, Zhou joined Mao Zedong, leader of the Chinese Communists. Zhou took part in the Long March of 1934 and 1935, when Mao led the Communists 6,000 miles (9,700 kilometers) across China. Zhou was a leader in the conflict with the Nationalists for control of China in the 1940’s. As premier, he became Mao’s spokesman in foreign affairs. In 1972, for example, Zhou held meetings with United States President Richard M. Nixon, the first U.S. president to visit China while in office.
