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The highlight of Huai'an is its memorial complex in honor of Zhou Enlai, the first Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China. The complex sits in a beautiful park, with the main memorial hall on an island. Its white marble walls and the green trees that surround it are reflected in the still blue water. This stately and moving monument demonstrates the love and respect that Zhou continues to enjoy in China, almost 30 years after his death.
Zhou was an early member of the Communist party, joining when it was still a small, outlawed group in the 1920's. He survived assassination attempts, many battles, and the famous Long March across the most rugged terrain in China on his way to becoming one of the top revolutionary leaders, second only to Mao Zedong himself. After the 1949 Revolution placed the Communist Party in power, he served for several decades as Prime Minister and also led China's diplomacy and foreign affairs. Eloquent and courteous, he impressed and grew to be friends with many other leaders around the world. But the deepest impression he made was on the Chinese people, who loved him because of his deep humanity and concern for the lives of ordinary people and his love of culture. In contrast to many other grand memorials, it does not contain Zhou's body - before he died he asked to be cremated and have his ashes scatted from a plane over the country he had dedicated his life to.
The spare and geometric memorial hall, in its peaceful park setting, was designed to try to reflect the spirit of Zhou. The first floor of the monument describes Zhou's life, accomplishments with exhibits of photographs, testimonials, and his personal effects, while on the more solemn second floor visitors are greeted by a a white marble statue of the seated Zhou. One sub-building is laid out in the shape of the character meaning "people", and is enclosed by a larger building, to evoke the idea that Zhou lives on in the hearts of the people. Huai'an is also home to the historic houses where Zhou was born and grew up. There are interesting not only as memorials to the former statesman, but also as well preserved examples of traditional courtyard homes.
(Source: jstour.com)
 8 days Shanghai-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Wuzhen-Shanghai
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