In 1978, he was part of the first batch of students admitted through the National College Entrance Examinations to the Southwest University of Political Science & Law.

[2] His rise to power is comparable to that of then-Party general secretary Hu Jintao and then-Vice-Premier Li Keqiang; all three men had background in the Communist Youth League of China.

Like other top Chinese leaders, Zhou spoke often of promoting the 'rule of law' and was thought to be aligned with CCP general secretary Xi Jinping's stated ambition to make the court system in China fairer.

He said:[China's courts] must firmly resist the western idea of "constitutional democracy", "separation of powers" and "judicial independence".

[4]This tougher line was interpreted as self-protection amid a CCP power struggle ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.