Zhou Enlai

1898-03-05 - 1976-01-08 Contemporaries

Zhou Enlai (1898–1976) was a Chinese statesman, diplomat, and revolutionary who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China from October 1949 until his death in January 1976. He also served as the PRC's foreign minister from 1949 to 1958, attending the 1954 Geneva Conference and the 1955 Bandung Conference, and he helped Mao Zedong consolidate party power while keeping state operations running amid tumultuous politics.