Zhou Enlai (March 5,1898 – January 8,1976),a prominent Communist Party of China leader,was Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death in January 1976,and China's foreign minister from 1949 to 1958.Zhou was instrumental in the Communist Party's rise to power,and subsequently in the construction of the Chinese economy and reformation of Chinese society.On the international scene Zhou was a skilled and able diplomat,having advocated for peaceful co-existence and been a participant at the Geneva Conference in 1954.As a result of his moral character,he was very popular with the Chinese public,and Zhou's death brought an outpouring of support which turned out to be crucial in China's transition of power between Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
