THE English edition of “Early Writings of Zhou Enlai” was released in Beijing on Thursday by the late Chinese premier’s alma mater, Tianjin Nankai High School, in the presence of Zhou’s family members, school alumni and his former colleagues.

    The date marked the 39th anniversary of Premier Zhou’s death in 1976, and the book launch is part of a series of memorial activities to commemorate Zhou.

    The collection contains 39 essays written by Zhou during his school years at Nankai between 1913 and 1917. “These articles vividly depict Zhou Enlai’s basic growth trajectory from various angles and perspectives in terms of his aspirations, moral cultivation, friend-making, ambitions, interests and physical cultivation,” said Sun Hailin, president of the school council and its Party chief, at the book launch ceremony.

    While the book’s original edition in Chinese had been unveiled earlier, on Oct. 17, 2014, Nankai hoped that by translating the book into English, the late political leader’s thoughts and spirit could be better understood by international readers.

    Zhao Qizheng, the former director of China’s State Council Information Office and himself an alumnus of Tianjin Nankai High School, said he always knew the corresponding English version of the book “would be published someday.”

    “Presenting an English version of essays that Zhou Enlai wrote at Tianjin Nankai High School will help readers at home and abroad read and understand Zhou Enlai and will especially help young people become familiar with and learn from him,” said Zhao.

    Zhao believes that the book should also have a hardcover edition, which would raise the book’s prestige and meet the demands of international readers in higher social strata.

    Both notions were shared by Zhou Mingwei, president of China International Publishing Group, the parent agency of the book’s publisher, New World Press.

    “Publishing the English edition of Premier Zhou’s essays reflects CIPG’s gratitude for this late leader,” said Zhou Mingwei, who noted that Premier Zhou personally sought to help establish the Beijing Review, China Construction, now known as China Today, and China Pictorial, three CIPG-published magazines focused on introducing China to the world.

    Zhou, who served as the premier of the People’s Republic of China for 26 years, was among the best-known Chinese public officials in the world.

    (SD-Agencies)