Canadian Chinese began a series of events in Richmond Hill, Canada Friday to mark the 120th anniversary of late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai's birth, with hundreds of people attending the opening ceremony.
The events, including a large-scale concert, a photo exhibition and forums, will last six days to commemorate Premier Zhou Enlai who led establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Canada in 1970.
Zhou Enlai's grandniece Zhou Rong rushed to Toronto from China to participate in the event with a book entitled "My Seventh Dad Zhou Enlai" written by her father Zhou Erliu, showing Zhou Enlai's unknown stories.
"I've felt very much impressed and grateful. Lots of local Canadian Chinese people do so much contributions to make it happen, to make it successful," said Zhou Rong, who was a student in Canada and worked in Toronto in 1980s.
"I felt this really is something special. As far as I know this is the first time for overseas Chinese to celebrate to memorize premier Zhou in countries other than in China," she added.
Together with other founders of the People's Republic of China (PRC), Zhou Enlai played a significant role in the revolutionary years toward establishing the PRC in October 1949, and served as the premier until his death in January 1976.
He had made unremitting efforts to develop the national economy, and shape foreign policies such as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence in international relations, according to the organizers.
Zhou, born in March 1898, is respected and commemorated in China and around the world. He is regarded as a major contributor to China-Canada diplomatic ties, according to the organizers of events.
