Premier Zhou in memory

More than 2,000 locals in Huai'an in east China's Jiangsu Province gathered on Monday at the memorial hall of late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to mark the 32nd anniversary of his departure.

Students in Huai''an in Jiangsu Province stand in front of a large picture of late Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, holding candles in hands, chanting poesies at a ceremony to mark the 32nd anniversary of Zhou''s death on Monday, January 7, 2008. [Photo: Xinhua]

Zhou Enlai, born in 1898 in Huai'an, was one of the core members of the leading group of the Communist Party of China and played a key role in forming the party. He became the country's premier at the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

The premier, who was one of the most popular leaders in China, passed away on January 8, 1976.