The Paper reporter Yue Huairang Cheng Ting
The Paper reporter learned from relevant sources that General Zhou Erjun, former member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Director of the Political Department of the National Defense University, died in Beijing on February 27, 2026 due to illness at the age of 93.
Zhou Erjun, born in 1932, is the nephew of Premier Zhou Enlai. After the military rank system was restored in 1988, he was one of the first batch to be awarded the rank of major general. Zhou Erjun is a former member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the National Defense University, deputy secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission, director of the Political Department, a representative of the Eighth National People's Congress, and a recipient of the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Victory Medal of Merit. Zhou Erjun once served as a consultant for the Zhou Enlai thought and life research branch of the Chinese Communist Party Literature Research Association.
January 8, 2026, is the 50th anniversary of the death of Premier Zhou Enlai. Earlier, The Paper had an exclusive interview with Major General Zhou Erjun.
In Zhou Erjun's eyes, Zhou Enlai was not only a seventh uncle who could play table tennis and pick up small turtles on the ground for his children to play with, but also a people's prime minister with good moral character and great personality, who was selfless and dedicated throughout his life. "He and his seventh mother left a total of 5,100 yuan during his lifetime, and all of them were handed over as party dues. The bottom line of integrity that he adhered to throughout his life was 'the world is for the public.'" Zhou Erjun said in an interview before his death.
"The first time I met him, he taught me to be self-reliant and emphasized the importance of reading." Zhou Erjun believed that "reading for the rise of China" mentioned by Premier Zhou should become the belief of contemporary youth. Because the times are constantly advancing, new information and new knowledge are growing explosively. Especially in the era of artificial intelligence, if you don’t want to be left behind, you must keep reading and master new knowledge.
Senior editor of this issue Zhou Yuhua
