Zhou Enlai's Childhood School Site

The Zhou Enlai Childhood School Site (周恩来童年读书旧址) is located at 174 Caoyun Road West in Qingjiangpu District, Huai'an, Jiangsu province. It marks the place where Zhou Enlai, born in 1898 in Huai'an, studied as a boy in the first decade of the 20th century, before leaving for northeast China around 1910 and beginning the education that led to his career in the Chinese Communist Party. Zhou later became the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, serving from 1949 until his death in 1976. During his childhood he lived for a time in the Qingjiangpu area with relatives, and attended traditional private schooling there, studying the classics in the old-style curriculum common at the end of the Qing dynasty. The site is a small compound of traditional buildings with timber frames and tiled roofs, arranged around a courtyard, and is presented as a commemorative exhibition. Displays include recreated classroom scenes with desks and teaching materials, photographs, and texts that describe his early education and the people who taught him. The exhibition places the school within the setting of Qingjiangpu, the canal port where the Grand Canal meets the Huai River, and describes the social conditions of the area at the time. The site is smaller and quieter than the main former residence, which is located in the old city, and is usually visited as part of a themed itinerary on Zhou Enlai's life in Huai'an. Admission is free, and opening hours are 09:00 to 16:30. A visit generally takes about 30 to 45 minutes. The Qingyan Garden and the Grand Canal waterfront are nearby, which makes it easy to combine with other stops in the district.