Chou En-lai: China's gray eminence

Most Chinese know the saying, "Say nothing definite about him whose coffin is yet to be nailed." The author of this biography of Chou En-lai offers this saying at the very beginning, I suspect, both as a reminder to himself and as a forewarning to his readers. For at 69, Chou is as active and as strong as ever in the center of China's political whirlpool. No one can predict the political fortunes of a man like Chou En-lai in the years ahead, particularly in light of the recent developments in Mainland China. Byron S. Weng , "Chou En-Lai: China's Gray Eminence. Kai-Yu Hsu ," The Journal of Politics 31, no. 3 (Aug., 1969): 826-828. DOI: 10.2307/2128506