From 1951 to 1975 Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai was on the cover of Time magazine six times. Zhou spent twenty-seven years as premier of the People's Republic of China and ten as its foreign minister. He was the architect of the country's administrative apparatus and its relationship to the world, as well as its legendary spymaster. Richard Nixon proclaimed him "the greatest statesman of our era." Yet Zhou never pursued to be the supreme leader of China. Historian Chen Jian brings Zhou into the light, offering a nuanced portrait of his complex life as a revolutionary, a master diplomat, and a man with his own vision and aspirations who did much to make China, as well as the larger world, what it is today.

Born to a declining Mandarin family in 1898, Zhou received a classical education at home and studied in Japan, England, France, and the Soviet Union, and finally chose to embrace communism as a vehicle for China's salvation. He helped Mao govern through a series of transformations. A bright diplomat, articulate and charismatic, his extraordinary political and bureaucratic skills, combined with his centrist approaches, enabled him to mitigate enormous damages caused by radical policies.

When Zhou died in 1976, the PRC that we know of was not yet visible on the horizon; he never saw glistening twenty-first-century Shanghai, but it was Zhou's work that shaped the nation whose influence and power are today felt in every corner of the globe.

Published by Harvard University Press and rated a Financial Times Best Book of 2024, "Zhou Enlai, A Life" is a lurid, well-researched narrative that offers "... an authoritative, incisive look at an unquestionably significant historical figure. An excellent biography and capable deconstruction of the labyrinthine mechanics behind the CCP's development".

Professor Emeritus Bruce Reynolds, a member of the RAS, will moderate the book discussion. While there are many interesting aspects we can explore, our discussion will primarily focus on:

1, Zhou's capacity to be a spymaster and created the sophisticated underground intelligence networks;

2, Zhou's involvement in managing the Xi'an Incident in 1936 and his stances in various intraparty power struggles;

3, Zhou's experiences in the Great Cultural Revolution.

We hope you will join us for a discussion about this exceptional book.