A story of the passion of modern China
“Deep Love” is a fascinating new exhibition from China that discovers how a young romance, formed in college, can unleash a force that changes the world.
The exhibit panels and upcoming website explore the depths of the relationship between the former Premier of China, Zhou Enlai, and his wife, Deng Yingchao.
The exhibition begins on December 12, 2016, at the State Capitol in Honolulu, sponsored by Speaker Emeritus of the House of Representatives, Calvin Say.
Here’s the story behind the story:
In Tianjin in 1919, two ambitious young students met: Deng Yingchao, an editor, publisher and leader of the women’s movement, and Zhou Enlai, a bright, brash young poet and student of languages.
It was the start of a relationship that endured for 60 years, thriving at the center of the immense changes in China: invasion, civil war, world war, revolution; starvation, violence, hunger and disease on a scale almost unprecedented in human history.
Zhou Enlai was at the center of this cauldron of change, as a general in the army, a dynamic writer and policymaker, a world traveler and philosopher, fluent in several languages. He helped lead the Long March, write the Constitution of China, and lead the young nation to independence. He was modern China’s first premier and foreign minister, and a peacemaker above all: he stood for principled understanding, respect and non-violence.
His ideas laid the foundation for today’s prosperity and growing importance of China. His gentleness, humor, iron will and discipline won international recognition for the struggling nation.
But less understood and recognized around the world is the role that his wife, Deng Yingchao, played in this grand picture. She was far more than a dutiful traditional Chinese wife, supporting her husband. She was a leader of the Chinese women’s and children’s movement, which developed alongside Western movements; a speaker, writer, organizer, and tireless worker for the human rights of all people.
Together and apart, moving across the world, this dynamic couple stood for decency, caring, equality, and for opening China to the world. They helped to save millions from the dangerous ideological struggles of the Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
How did their amazing relationship work? What was the source of their enduring passion, both for each other, for their nation and the world? How did they sustain their commitment through personal tragedy, threats to their family, sickness and injury?
To understand modern China, which admires Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao as heroes, it is helpful to understand their Deep Love.
The Central Committee of China, together with the Zhou Enlai National Memorial Center in his birthplace, Huaian, supported by the Zhou Enlai School of Government at Nankai University in Tianjin, developed a special exhibition, drawing on the national archives of China, to tell this moving story to the world.
They asked Honolulu-based educational and cultural organization, the Zhou Enlai Peace Institute, to translate and host the Deep Love Exhibition, which will have its world premiere in Honolulu on December 12, 2016.
Joining the exhibition in Honolulu will be senior officials from the Central Committee in Beijing, and from Huaian and Tianjin. They will tell stories of the personal and political passion of Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao.
This is an educational and inspirational story for all couples, marriages and families. Although it originates decades ago and thousands of miles away, in a culture very different from modern America, it contains lessons that are powerful and indelible for all.
This story also provides insight into one of America’s most potent partners and competitors on the world stage, from a unique perspective beyond conventional geopolitics.
The exhibition at the Capital was announced on December 12, from 6 pm. to 8 pm, free and open to the public from 9 am to 4 pm, December 13 through December 16. A series of talks, discussions and question-and-answer sessions with the visitors from China took place on December 13, at the University of Hawaii. Times and topics to be announced.
Contact: hawaiioffice@zhouenlaipeaceinstitute.org in Honolulu, Michael North
Contact: beijingoffice@zhouenlaipeaceinstitute.org in Beijing, Xiaofang Zhou North
