HUAI’AN/PARAMARIBO - On July 1st Suriname commemorated the 163rd anniversary of the abolition of slavery. To many this is a day of selfreflection...

but to others it is a day to have fun and to relax. But July 1st is also a special day in the People's Republic of China because on that day the Chinese people commemorate the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1921. According to soon-to-be professor Lu Keli at the Renmin University in Beijing, the founding took place under difficult circumstances. Communism still had not gained a foothold in China at that time and new political ideas were deemed as a threat to the state. In its startup phase the CCP had 53 members and now it has more than 100 million members. On July 1st the 105th anniversary of the CCP was commemorated in Beijing with a special meeting in the Great Hall of the People. President Xi Jinping addressed the people who were in attendance and in his speech he talked about 105 memorable years of the party and the people. He also indicated that he looked forward to a continuation of the ambitious modernization and a huge rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Members of the party who have done a great service to the country and the people were awarded a July 1 Medal which is the highest honorary medal that is awarded by the CCP. A group of journalists who represent the Caribbean and the Latin American region is currently staying in the Chinese province Jiangsu. These journalists paid a vist to his birthplace, the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall and the Enlai Executive Leadership Academy on July 1st. Zhou Enlai was one of the first prime ministers of China and he was also one of the founders of modern China. As a patriot he also worked alongside Mao Zedong during the revolutionary resistance. As China’s first PM, minister of Foreign Affairs and diplomat he played an important role when it came to relations with other nations in general and in particular with countries that are located in the Caribbean and the Latin American region.

Zhou is the architect of the five principles of peaceful coexistence which are still the pillars of China's foreign policy. The museum that was built in honor of Zhou Enlai in Huai’an, in the Jiangsu province, opened its doors in 1992. It is a tourist attraction which is located on an estate that covers 400,000 square meters and which consists of two impressive buildings and two artificial lakes. The museum has a collection of more than 40,000 objects such as pictures, paintings, memorabilia and audio visual material which bring the story of Zhou Enlai to life. he visit of the journalists to the house where Zhou was born and where he spent the first 12 years of his life was an ode to his simple background. The Enlai Executive Leadership Academy, a school run by the CCP, is also located in Huai’an and is used as a knowledge center for members. The mission of the academy is to share and promote the ideology of Zhou Enlai via teaching methods and programs.
Many average Chinese citizens flock to the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall and this huge turnout on July 1st proves that the principles of Zhou Enlai will live on and that the CCP will continue to exoand in the next couple of years.