| − | '''Zhou Enlai''' (1898–1976) was a leading [[communist]] in [[China]] who served as Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death. He also served as China's foreign minister from 1949 to 1958. Zhou was portrayed as a selfless hero to the Chinese people. He began to end China's isolation from the world when he invited an American table tennis team to tour [[China]] in 1971. | + | '''Zhou Enlai''' (1898–1976) was a leading [[communist]] in [[China]] who served as Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1949 until his death. He also served as China's foreign minister from 1949 to 1958. Zhou was portrayed as a selfless hero to the Chinese people. During the Cultural Revolution, Zhou used his influence to try to shield innocents from the increasingly violent Red Guard. He began to end China's isolation from the world when he invited an American table tennis team to tour [[China]] in 1971. |