Zhou Enlai Peace Institute Will Be Unveiled in Conjunction with APEC Meetings in November

Oct. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Contact: Michael North /808-638-7100
press@zhouenlaipeaceinstitute.org
 
HONOLULU, October 3, 2011 (Monday) -- The formal announcement of the establishment of Hawaii-based Zhou Enlai Peace Institute will occur on Monday, November 11, 2011, at a special luncheon program at the Coral Ballroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, the co-founders of the nonprofit, international organization said today.
 
Former Governor John Waihee will serve as “Goodwill Ambassador” at the event. He was invited to represent the original Hawaiian people, and all Hawaii’s diverse communities, for the cause of peace and aloha. He said, “Zhou Enlai is a hero of mine. I did a lot of studying about China, and he was the person that I admired. He was the kind, progressive face of China. I was always interested in his life." 

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger will deliver a video message, members of the Zhou family and officials of the Chinese central government will be present, and members of APEC delegations and Hawaii's governmental and business leaders will receive invitations to attend, the Institute's co-founders said.
 
The leaders meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum is set for November 12-13, with other meetings to begin as early as November 7, 2011.
 
"We communicate peace through heroes," said Michael North, who with Xiao Fang Zhou, the late premier's grand-niece, established the Zhou Enlai Peace Institute. "The United States has Martin Luther King. South Africa has Nelson Mandela; India has Gandhi. All became a source of inspiration throughout the world. 
 
"In China, Zhou is respected as King, Mandela and Gandhi are in their countries, but he is yet to be fully appreciated internationally. Zhou, often working in the background, was the calming hand as China endured many social, economic and diplomatic challenges to become a modern nation. He was a global peacemaker, who worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes with Kissinger, ended years of hostility between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China, and laid the foundation for the establishment of diplomatic relations between these two great nations."
 
In his book, "On China," Kissinger wrote: "In some sixty years of public life, I have encountered no more compelling figure than Zhou Enlai. Short, elegant, with an expressive face framing luminous eyes, he dominated by exceptional intelligence and capacity to intuit the intangibles of the psychology of his opposite number."
 
North added: "To understand China from a Chinese perspective, we need to understand Zhou Enlai. Xiao Fang and I believe that understanding can be nurtured in Hawaii, which has a special mix of the aloha spirit and diversity of people and cultures that is warmly embraced." 
 
As a young child growing up in Beijing, Xiao Fang Zhou never met her great-uncle; he was busy running the country. "But I learned much about him through stories my father told me. Our family is still very proud of Zhou Enlai, and the Institute is a way to share his legacy of compassion and peace. These are values that I  always try to embody in my life," she said.
 
THE EVENT
 
>> The Zhou Enlai Peace Institute's two-hour special luncheon begins at noon on Friday, November 11, 2011, at the Coral Ballroom in the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
 
>> Net proceeds will be used to support the First International Zhou Enlai Peace Awards, in Beijing in February 2012.
 
>> Tickets: individuals, $200; couples, $500. Gold or platinum tables also available. For tickets, visit http://zhouenlai.eventbrite.com or contact: 808-282-9598
 
>> Attendees will include: former Hawaii Governor John Waihee III, speaking and introducing the program, and acting as Goodwill Ambassador;  ZHOU Bing De, niece of the late Premier, who as a child lived in the Zhongnanhai compound, where Zhou Enlai and other top leaders worked and resided; ZHOU Hua Zhang, nephew; LIAO Xin Wen, director of the Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao Study Center in Beijing;  ZHANG Jin, director of the Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall in Zhou's birthplace of Huaian, Jiangsu Province, and Mary Buffett, the former daughter-in-law of billionaire investor Warren Buffett; she serves on the Board of the Institute, as a financial advisor.
 
(Note to editors: Names in capital letters are surnames. In China, the style is the surname first, followed by the given name. In this news release, the style for Chinese names reflects each individual's preference. So for Xiao Fang ZHOU, Zhou is the family name, but it goes last, given her preference; for LIAO Xin Wen, the last name is Liao.)
 
ZHOU ENLAI PEACE INSTITUTE
>> Additional information on the Institute can be be found at its website,
http://zhouenlaipeaceinstitute.org  A small library of photos, images and logos is authorized for general release to the press, and is available for viewing and download at http://www.box.net/shared/mda6j9olv9ubtef8zlkt

# # #

Bringing America and China together through a co-ordinated program of public education, citizen diplomacy, arts and culture events, and peace initiatives.