Claim: Zhou Enlai was critical in solidifying the Communist Party's control.

Zhou Enlai -LRB- ; 5 March 1898 -- 8 January 1976 -RRB- was the first Premier of the People 's Republic of China , serving from October 1949 until his death in January 1976 . Zhou served along with Chairman Mao Zedong and was instrumental in the Communist Party 's rise to power , and later in consolidating its control , forming foreign policy , and developing the Chinese economy .   A skilled and able diplomat , Zhou served as the Chinese foreign minister from 1949 to 1958 . Advocating peaceful coexistence with the West after the stalemated Korean War , he participated in the 1954 Geneva Conference and the 1955 Bandung Conference , and helped orchestrate Richard Nixon 's 1972 visit to China . He helped devise policies regarding the bitter disputes with the U.S. , Taiwan , the Soviet Union -LRB- after 1960 -RRB- , India and Vietnam .   Zhou survived the purges of other top officials during the Cultural Revolution . While Mao dedicated most of his later years to political struggle and ideological work , Zhou was the main driving force behind the affairs of state during much of the Cultural Revolution . His attempts at mitigating the Red Guards ' damage and his efforts to protect others from their wrath made him immensely popular in the Cultural Revolution 's later stages .   As Mao Zedong 's health began to decline in 1971 and 1972 , Zhou struggled against the Gang of Four internally over leadership of China . Zhou 's health was also failing , however , and he died eight months before Mao on 8 January 1976 . The massive public outpouring of grief in Beijing turned to anger towards the Gang of Four , leading to the Tiananmen Incident . Although succeeded by Hua Guofeng , it was Deng Xiaoping , Zhou 's ally , who was able to outmaneuver the Gang of Four politically and eventually take Hua 's place as paramount leader by 1978 .