伟人?我先想的肯定是总理了
Zhou Enlai (simplified Chinese:周恩来; traditional Chinese:周恩来; pinyin:Zhōu Ēnlái; Wade-Giles:Chou En-lai) (March 5,1898 – January 8,1976) was the first Premier of the People's Republic of China,serving from 1949 until his death in January 1976.Zhou was instrumental in the Communist Party's rise to power,and subsequently in the construction of the Chinese economy and restructuring of Chinese society.
A skilled and able diplomat,Zhou served as the Chinese foreign minister from 1949 to 1958.Advocating peaceful coexistence with the West,he participated in the 1954 Geneva Conference and helped orchestrate Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China.Due to his expertise,Zhou was largely able to survive the purges of high-level Chinese Communist Party officials during the Cultural Revolution.His attempts at mitigating the Red Guard's damage and his efforts to protect others from their wrath made him immensely popular in the Revolution's later stages.
As Mao Zedong's health began to decline in 1971 and 1972,Zhou and the Gang of Four struggled internally over leadership of China.Zhou's health was also failing however,and he died eight months before Mao on January 8,1976.The massive public outpouring of grief in Beijing turned to anger towards the Gang of Four,leading to the Tiananmen Incident.Deng Xiaoping,Zhou's ally and successor as Premier,was able to outmaneuver the Gang of Four politically and eventually take Mao's place as Paramount Leader.
Reputation in popular stories
In a society where news is restricted,much weight is put on stories which cannot be verified.It was widely believed that at the Geneva Conference of 1954 U.S.Secretary of State John Foster Dulles snubbed Zhou by publicly brushing past his outstretched hand.Whether the incident actually happened or not,President Nixon clearly believed that it had.Therefore,when he descended from Air Force One in Beijing in January 1972,he ostentatiously and respectfully held out his hand to Zhou,who appreciated the symbolism.
The clash with Russia created a number of these stories.One story had it that Zhou met Premier Nikita Khrushchev outside a meeting hall where each had denounced the other.Khrushchev,who was said to be jealous of Zhou’s cosmopolitan skills,remarked to Zhou “it’s interesting,isn’t it.I’m of working class origin while your family were landlords.” Zhou quickly replied “Yes,and we each betrayed our class!”
Another such doubtful but widespread story had it that at another such encounter Khrushchev shook Zhou’s hand,then pulled out his handkerchief and wiped his hands.Zhou then pulled out his handkerchief,wiped his hands,and put the handkerchief in the nearest wastebasket.This is especially interesting since apparently Richard Nixon told a similar story.He recalled that in 1954 Undersecretary of State,Walter B.Smith did not want to "break...discipline" but also did not want to slight the Chinese blatantly.Therefore,Smith held a cup of coffee in his right hand when shaking hands with Zhou.Zhou took out a white handkerchief,wiped his hand and threw the handkerchief into the garbage.
When asked for his assessment of the 1789 French Revolution,he is remembered for saying,"It is too early to say".Although this is also attributed to Mao.
