China marks 110th birthday of late Premier Zhou Enlai in many ways

BEIJING, March 5 (Xinhua) -- People around China have held a variety of activities to commemorate the 110th birthday of the late Premier Zhou Enlai, which falls on Wednesday.

Years after his demise, Zhou remains one of the most revered figures in modern Chinese history.

More than 3,000 people visited the former residence of Zhou and his wife, Deng Yingchao, at the Meiyuan New Village Memorial Hall in Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu Province, to pay respects to these honorable leaders.

Li Lude, a retired teacher from the Nanjing People's High School, bowed three times and put a bouquet of flowers in front of the copper stature of Premier Zhou at the courtyard of the Meiyuan New Village.

"Zhou was my most admired person in the world as he devoted his life to the country and the people. His spirit of selflessness inspired me through my teaching career," said Li.

The 61-year-old woman said she has carried on the routine since 1985 when she came back to work in Nanjing from a nearby township, and Zhou's birthday has become a special day for her family.

"I told my two children before, and now my grandchildren, the stories I heard from my parents about Zhou, such as how hard he studied during his childhood and how selfless and devoted he was, even when he was among the top leadership of the country, and they were all moved," said Li.

"My children helped me prepare the flowers, though they can't came with me because they are busy with their work," she said.

Meiyuan Village, now a museum, is a place where Zhou and the Delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) lived and negotiated with their political rivals, the Kuomingtang, during China's War of Liberation (1946-1949). Now, visitors can see Zhou's letters and suits and group photos of Zhou and other CPC leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhu De.

Zhou was born in Huai'an City, Jiangsu Province, in 1898. He was one of the key CPC leaders in China's revolution and one of the founders of the People's Republic of China and the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

He served as Premier from 1949 to 1976 and passed away on Jan. 8, 1976.

Wanghua, curator of the memorial hall, was not surprised to see more visitors on Zhou's birthday. The village has received more than 20 million visitors since it opened in 1978.

"He deserves this. The most valuable quality of Zhou was selflessness and whole-hearted devotion to the people, which should be learned by all the government officials nowadays," said Wang, adding that the Nanjing government had decided to open the museum free to the public.

The nationwide commemoration was also extended to the internet.

At www.zel.chinaspirit.net.cn, a website dedicated to commemoration messages, netizens presented virtual flowers and left messages about the beloved late premier.

The site, featuring a smiling Zhou in a Mao suit, has had more than 12 million visits since it was launched five years ago. The messages, filled with respect for Zhou's fine personality, dedication and loyalty to the nation, totaled more than 53 million words.

A distinctive message, wrote by Qian Cheng, at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, said: "Premier, this is your 110th birthday, but you will always be a heroic and dedicated figure we remembered. You have already left us, but you will never be away from our hearts."

President Hu Jintao also highly praised Zhou's devotion to the Party, the people and the nation at a symposium held at the Great Hall of the People on Friday to mark Zhou's 110th birthday.

"Zhou devoted his whole life to the Party, the nation and the people. His spirit and deeds will inspire us to work harder in the reform and opening-up on the road to building socialism with Chinese characteristics," Hu said.