As I began thinking about writing this article, I could not help remembering the late Premier Zhou Enlai. Without his personal guidance and help, Beijing Review's publication might have been long delayed, or even impossible. The very idea of starting an English-language weekly for foreign readers was his. Upon his return from the 1954 Geneva Conference, the premier became keenly aware of the urgent need for communication between China and the outside world, especially the West. It was against this background that Beijing Review came into existence. The birth and growth of the magazine was closely associated with the outstanding first premier of the People's Republic of China, as the following three episodes reveal.

From the beginning, there was much discussion about what the magazine's editorial policy should be. Premier Zhou was given a draft document on the subject, but he found it unsatisfactory and appointed a committee of leading comrades from government and Party departments to study the problem. At a meeting held in his office, the premier himself finally approved the guidelines developed by the committee, and most of its members were later appointed to the Editorial Policy Committee of Beijing Review.

On his state visit to India in April 1960, Premier Zhou held a press conference with foreign correspondents in New Delhi. When they asked for an official English version of his answers, he replied that the full proceedings of the press conference would be published in the next issue of Beijing Review.

On March 5, 1963, Beijing Review held a reception to celebrate two events—the magazine's fifth anniversary and the inauguration of the French and Spanish editions. Premier Zhou headed a large group of state and Party leaders who attended. He went from table to table greeting the staff, expressed appreciation for their hard work and toasted their health.

If only Premier Zhou had lived to honour us with his presence again as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Beijing Review.

The author was editor-in-chief of Beijing Review when it was launched in 1958

(This article appears on page 16, VOL.31 NO.10 MARCH 13, 1988)