Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao, one of the most respected couples in modern China, had a deep bond with Tianjin – after they met and fell in love with each other in the city.

They also made it their last wish to have their ashes scattered onto the Haihe River at the end of their lives, as the two regarded it as their second hometown.

In 1913, 15-year-old Zhou Enlai moved with his uncle to Tianjin from the Northeast and was enrolled in the Nankai School where he met Deng at a modern drama group.

However, the two didn't immediately get to know each other very much, because the male and female students were kept separate.

After the May Fourth Movement broke out in 1919, 21-year-old Zhou Enlai became one of the organizers of the Tianjin Student Union and served as editor-in-chief of the Tianjin Student Union Paper.

The Tianjin Student Union Newspaper was recognized as the leading students' paper for its truthfulness, with sales of more than 20,000 copies per day, spreading to Beijing, Shanghai and other places.

Deng also made a name for her talents in speech and organization; she was a leader of the Female Patriotic Comrades Association in the first women's normal school in Tianjin.

On Sept 16 in 1919, under the auspices of Zhou, the two groups jointly established the Enlightenment Society, in order to become a unified and strengthened organization.

Subsequently they become more attached, but didn't enter into romantic relations until in 1923 when Zhou made up his mind to seek someone who shared his commitment and determination for the country's future while he was in staying France where he got closer in touch with communism.

He sent a postcard from France seeking Deng's love and she responded warmly by letter.

On Aug 8, 1925, Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao were wed, in a marriage which lasted for over half a century until Zhou died in 1976.

Today, the precious exhibits that record and show Zhou's life are displayed in the Zhou Enlai--Deng Yingchao Memorial Hall.